The Siege of Reach
by The Hidden Sith
Summary: Reach is under attack by the inexorable might of the Covenant, millions of UNSC soldiers stand against the darkness both in space and in the sprawling metropolises that dot Reach's surface. The war has become a war of attrition and weither Reach falls or not, will decide the entire fate of the war, and of the human race. Halo AU. OC
1. Chapter 1: Winter Contingency

~Siege of Reach~

A Halo AU

**Disclaimer:** Halo 'Siege of Reach' is a non profit fan created story for the purpose of entertainment. No monetary, social or economic gain is made from the reading/creation of this story and is covered under Microsoft's Game Content Usage Rules which can be found at www. xbox Community/Developer/Rules. Halo Franchise © Microsoft of Reach] was created under Microsoft's "Game Content Usage Rules" using assets from Halo Franchise. It is not endorsed by Microsoft and does not reflect the views or opinions of Microsoft or anyone officially involved in producing or managing Halo Franchise. As such, it does not contribute to the official narrative of the fictional universe, if applicable.****

Author's Note: Siege of Reach is a Halo AU told in a universe were the UNSC did not make all the mistakes they did in canon such as destroying important technical data and never recovering it as per the Cole Protocol. Siege of Reach makes use, also, of several community calculations for weapons such as the MAC rounds. Various objects, ships, peoples, and or events have been changed.

**Chapter One: Winter Contingency**

****UNITED NATIONS SPACE COMMAND PRIORITY TRANSMISSION****

ENCRYPTION CODE: OMEGA****

FROM: CODENAME KINGFISH****

TO: CODENAME ROBIN HOOD****

DATE: AUGUST 30th 2552****

SUBJECT: Winter Contingency****

CLASSIFICATION: EYES ONLY, PLANETARY HEADS OF DEFENSE****

[START]****

Fleet Admiral Terrance Hood,****

At 05:00 Hours on August 29th, 2552, the UNSC SOVEREIGN (DDG-893 MIDLOTHIAN-CLASS) was on routine patrol when contact was made with a Covenant Type-31 Exoatmospheric Mutli-role Fighter (SERAPH) over ELIPSON ERIDANI C (37 AU from STAR) The 'SERAPH' was successfully engaged by UNSC SOVEREIGN and destroyed with no casualties. Thirteen minutes later at 05:13 Hours, the UNSC SOVEREIGN made contact with a CFV-Class Covenant Frigate which was engaged and destroyed by UNSC SOVEREIGN with minimal damage caused to the Destroyer. (NOTE: EM field diffused Covenant Plasma Rounds by 25% and Plasma Torpedoes by 30%) (NOTE 2: Salvage vessel UNSC TUG-67 was dispatched to retrieve debris, retrieval successful) Moments before the CFV-Class Frigate was destroyed, it sent a high powered burst communication through subspace to an unknown recipient and was pinged across space, making it effectively untraceable to us. ONI Prowler Night Watch intercepted a partial line of the communication and when run through Translation Program ALPHA-NINE THREE TWO TWELVE says:****

[The defilers are here, burn them to the ground with the blessed flame]****

The line was followed by a series of unintelligible covenant characters which linguistic experts believe are numbers, specifically, coordinates to Reach. As of 01:00 August 30th, 2552, I am declaring WINTER CONTINGENCY for the Elipson Eridani star system. All forces are being rallied and all local deployed assets have been recalled. The three Hrunting/YGGDRASIL Mark 1 Exoskeleton Assault Brigades we have on planet have been deployed to key areas. I have also deployed NOBLE TEAM to secure Doctor Halsey's subterranean lab from possible Covenant Assault. Currently, the dreadnought UNSC WARHAMMER (DN-05) is holding orbit over Reach with the Elipson Eridani Defense Fleet, the 3rd Fleet, the 7th Fleet and the 67th Carrier Task Force. All planets beside Reach have been evacuated out of system, heading towards the Haven system. In total, 512 warships are currently in orbit with the UNSC TRAFALGAR (SCV-16) is expected with the 19th Carrier Battle group within one day. If the _INFINITY_is completed yet, we could use her extra firepower.****

I am requesting that additional forces are deployed to Reach, if Reach falls, then OPERATION: RED FLAG will fail and eventually, Earth with be glassed. All ODPs are fully operational and we have twenty percent of non-combatants evacuated from the planet but we will need more time and more evacuation transports otherwise we will start to send carriers and Charon-class Frigates out to evacuate the citizens.****

Reach will be under siege soon Fleet Admiral, please send word back when you get this. There isn't much time.****

/END/**  
**-**  
**UNITED NATIONS SPACE COMMAND PRIORITY TRANSMISSION****

ENCRYPTION CODE: OMEGA****

FROM: CODENAME ROBIN HOOD****

TO: CODENAME KINGFISH****

DATE: AUGUST 30th 2552****

SUBJECT: Re: Winter Contingency****

CLASSIFICATION: EYES ONLY, PLANETARY HEADS OF DEFENSE****

[START]****

Vice Admiral Danforth Whitcomb,****

I agree, Reach can not be allowed to fall. I have diverted Admiral Stanforth and his fleet along with NAVSPECWAR SPARTAN Blue Team to reinforce you. By the time you have received this, they will have already arrived and should be used as you see fit. Twenty six _LIFE_-class Evacuation Transports are also en route to your position escorted by the Paris-class Heavy Frigates SAVANNAHand _STALWART DAWN_eta is 8-31-2552 Reach Local Time.****

With the Covenant being held back in the local sectors, I have recalled all extra warships and battle groups to converge on Haven and make sure those evacuation transports make it safely there. Sol and Earth at the moment should not be any concern Danforth, the Hammer ODPs have come online and the home fleet is fully rallied. If need be Battle Group _Stalingrad_and _Solace_will be available to you if needed for reinforcement and exoatmospheric support.****

Onboard the _STALWART DAWN_are three additional battalions of Hrunting/YGGDRASIL Mark 1 Exoskeleton Assault Brigades. I wish I could send more but with heavy fighting in the Arcturus sector, I can not divert additional units from that battlefield lest we loose one of our primary research and evacuation centers.****

I am giving you authorization as per UNSC DIRECTIVE A-93281-84k to use TACTICAL NUCLEAR BOMBARDMENT on areas that have fallen into Covenant possession. NAPALM is authorized on any and all Covenant Units as per UNSC EMERGENCY DIRECTIVE WMD-328.****

Be wary of Civilian deaths otherwise the backlash of this may be too big for ONI to neuter.****

Best of luck and god's speed.****

/END/**  
**-

**10:30 Hours, August 30****th****, 2552 (Military Calender)/ ****New Alexandria/ Planet Reach/ Elipson Eridani System******

**"**Daddy?" Her soft, sweet voice sounded like someone banging pots near his ears. Slowly, with the movement of someone fresh from a hangover Donald Moore's eyes fluttered open and instantly were greeted with searing, painful sun light and his five year old daughter nose to nose with him. "Daddy?"****

Donald groaned and gently pushed his daughter away. "Yes dear?" He responded with a voice of a man who was harshly awoken from a restful sleep. He threw his legs over the bed and rubbed his eyes, "What is it Emilia?"****

Emilia smiled and handed him his tablet computer with the news app opened. Donald took it from her grasp and quickly read the bright crimson headline and it made his heart drop.****

BREAKING NEWS: WINTER CONTINGENCY DECLARED FOR THE ELIPSON ERIDANI STAR SYSTEM****

He nearly dropped the tablet and he unsteadily stood up. Emilia flung herself on the messy bed and looked at her dad, she could read the fear and shock evident on her father's face. "What's wrong daddy?"**  
****  
**Donald quickly got dressed in a sweatshirt and a pair of blue jeans, "We have to go Emilia, we have to go away for a while."****

**"**Why daddy?" She asked, a smile still plastered on her face and her bright blue eyes obscured by her blond locks.****

Donald looked back at her as he hastily began packing a duffel bag, "Because honey, those monsters that hurt mommy? They are coming here and we need to get away so we don't get hurt."****

Emilia's face got serious like she was thinking deeply, "Oh, okay. Can I help?"****

Donald nodded and reached under the bed, "Emilia go get Rufus and that travel bag you have full of clothes okay?"****

**"**Okay!" She responded and darted out to a different part of the apartment overlooking New Alexandria.****

Donald sighed and removed the small case from the bed and placed the small black metal box on the bed spread. He unhinged the two latches and opened it, revealing an M6D Pistol with two extra magazines. He grabbed the holster from his bedside drawer and put the .50 caliber pistol in it. "Thank you Amanda" he said quietly to his dead UNSC Marine wife.****

Emilia came racing back with a small pug puppy that was in a handheld travel kennel and across her back was a backpack with clothes in it.****

**"**Here honey, give Rufus to me." Donald ordered gently and Emilia handed him the dog. He placed the kennel on the bed and slung the duffel bag across his shoulder diagonally and picked up the kennel. He took a dog treat from his pocket and handed it to the little puppy. The small dog eagerly ate it and fell gently asleep in the kennel.****

**"**Why is Rufus now sleeping Daddy?" Emilia asked innocently.****

**"**Don't worry honey, its just so he can help us move easier, he'll wake up in a few hours okay?" Donald responded. _Being a vet has it's perks, like sleeping pills for dogs._He thought with an inner chuckle.****

**"**Oh okay, can I carry him?" Emilia asked.****

**"**No honey I will okay? Now hold daddy's hand." Donald outstretched his hand and his daughter took it. They descended the stairs in silence and locked the apartment's door. On the way to the building's elevator Donald looked out the window and saw six M850 Grizzly Tanks roll down the streets followed by several Cougar IFVs and overhead, several Hornets and Sparrowhawks. _It must be really bad if they are deploying everything this quick._****

As they exited out onto the sidewalk Donald observed that people were either driving towards the evacuation center or walking towards it, his eyes were drawn to the massive shapes above it. A Paris-class Frigate escorted by two Mako corvettes held position with a flight of Longswords buzzing above.****

It took very little time for Donald and Emilia to reach the evacuation point. A simple show of papers and a scan for explosives and weapons, Donald having to hand his M6D over to the government officer present for it to be locked away in the ship's armory during the flight, and Donald and Emilia were allowed onboard. Emilia nearly ran for a window seat and Donald sat next to her, putting their bags in the overhead compartment and placing the still sleeping and kenneled Rufus on his lap.****

A rather large display at the front of the passenger compartment displayed the name of the transport they were on. It was the UNS _Sportsman_, a refitted luxury liner. Donald leaned back in his seat and saw that the entire compartment was filled with people, some even sitting in the aisle.****

**"**_Attention passengers, we will be undergoing a sensor sweep momentarily for tracking devices and or explosives on board. Please do not move." _An anonymous flight intelligence said with a board drawl that came from years of the same repetitive practice.****

The entire ship hummed for a moment and an emerald green light swept through. Emilia was looking out the window with awe as additional Frigates descended into the atmosphere around New Alexandria and the towering skyscrapers. Dozens of transports were lifting off all accelerating upwards into the sky, trailed by a duo of fighters each.****

**"**_Attention, we are beginning our lift off procedures._**" **The shipboard A.I alerted. "_Please brace yourself."_****

Every passenger was pressed against their seat as the g-forces skyrocketed before the inertial dampeners snapped on. They were climbing into orbit with the hundreds of other transports, many, including the _Sportsman_going directly through the assembled UNSC fleet. Donald gasped when they came into view of the UNSC _War Hammer_, the gargantuan six kilometer flagship of the UNSC Navy. Even from hundreds of kilometers away, Donald could see the dozens of weapons turrets sprouting from its heavily armored hull and the single super MAC barrel protruding from the bow, flanked by three other smaller barrels that were nearly identical to the main one. It was a sight to see, to Donald it seemed as if the entire UNSC navy was over Reach, ships were blotting out the sun over the planet. ****

_"Attention we will be entering slip space momentarily._" the AI droned and Donald felt the Sportsman lurch forward and the rapidly increasing hum of the engines,****

Donald looked out the viewport one last time to say goodbye to the planet he had been raised on. Emilia was too young to realize it but leaving the place you were born and raised, knowing that it would soon be destroyed left a lasting impact on one's perception of human mortality. He looked back at Emilia who was gazing out the window at the group of Longswords escorting them into Slipspace.****

_"Entering Slipspace" _****

The _Sportsman_ ignited her engines and disappeared into the shimmering Slipspace portal directly off her bow.****

Donald leaned back in his chair and let out a massive sigh of relief, they were safe.**  
**-

**12:00 Hours, August 30****th****, 2552 (Military Calender)/ UNSC Destroyer **_**Sovereign, **_**Planet Reach Orbit/ Elipson Eridani System****  
**

For myself, Captain Luke Cortez, being the ship to first encounter the Covenant in Elipson Eridani was not the way I wanted to be remembered in history for, especially if it meant that _billions_ of more people were killed. Historians, if they're was even a humanity in the future, would blame me, my young age, anything to try and place the loss of Reach. The stress on myself now, and truly every UNSC warship commander in the system was evident, tired eyes, irritability and more. This battle, this siege of the UNSC's primary military fortress world, would decide the outcome of a thirty year long war.

I was standing slightly hunched over the main tactical plotting table, a rather large projection of Reach very nearly reaching the ceiling. Hundreds of UNSC warships lurked in orbit of my home world, ranging from the mile long _Marathon_'s and the 6 kilometer _War Hammer_ to the one hundred and fifty meter _Mako_ Corvettes. My own ship was a 614 meter _Midlothian_-class Destroyer, armed to the teeth with two Magnetic Accelerator Cannons capable of accelerating two 1 metric ton slugs at .3c every thirty seconds, forty oversized Archer Missile Pods and with a CIWS suite of eight 50mm Railguns and complemented by three Mark 2488 _Onager_ Mass Accelerators, I knew she could hold her own against an equivalent Covenant Destroyer, albeit with major damage.

I sighed and turned away from the hologram, walking towards my captain's chair in the center of the command platform. I slowly placed myself into the conforming seat, it instantly readjusting to my muscled form. I took off my officer's cap and ran a hand through my dark brown hair.

"Captain." My communications officer yelled.

I looked at the mousey man who's name I could not remember. He had been a recent transfer from a vessel damaged in the holding of Sigma Octanus. "Yes Lieutenant?"

"Admiral Whitcomb has opened a communication channel with the fleet." The man responded briskly and professionally.

I nodded and rotated the chair to face the large display that was to the right of me. Admiral Whitcomb was an older man, mid sixties-early seventies with nearly silver hair and oriental features with dark green eyes and his combat record, if I remembered correctly, was immaculate, taking on the Covenant in thirty engagements and winning twenty of them. "_All ships, this is UNSC War Hammer actual. Sensors have detected Slipspace whispers approximately two million kilometers from Reach. It's the Covenant. All ships are to go to Battle Ready Status and maneuver into formation Asgard_. _War Hammer actual out._" The channel was cut and I stood up.

"Ensign Johansen! Load all MAC guns, heat up the Archer Pods and prep the CIWS suite." I barked out, grasping the bronze railing in front of me. "And ready our torpedo tubes for the Harpoons."

Ensign Molly Johansen quickly went to work, alarms began to roar through the _Sovereign_ as my ship went to Battle Ready Status. "MACs loaded, Archer Pods ready, CIWS primed." she responded professionally.

"Thank you Lieutenant." I paused and moved to the hologram of Reach and it's fleet. "Helmsman Ronson, bring us into position, standard position, formation Asgard."

The young man from what was once Harvest ran his lean hands across the controls and I watched as the small icon of the _Sovereign_ move into the third firing line. Above us were _Marathon_ class Battlecruiser's, their three MAC's and hundreds of Archer Pods and Railguns armed. Beneath us were Heavy Frigates and Corvettes, spreading themselves out equally amongst the line for equal coverage. The Carriers of the fleet where in the far back, their Longsword Interceptors and Shortsword Bombers in perfect formation and at the front of the battle line. What really drew my eye was where _War Hammer _and _Trafalgar _were. The Super Carrier was at the very back but 'above' the rest of the fleet, on it's side, allowing the hundreds of CIWS batteries on her top surface to effectively fill the space in front of the fleet to be filled with shrapnel and rail gun rounds. The _War Hammer_ and positioned herself inside the Cruiser's line, giving it's main Super MAC a clear field of fire.

The twenty ODPs in orbit had rotated themselves into clear firing positions, each had been given an area of space to defend, assigned by the number of nuclear mines in the area and the firing lanes of the defense fleet.

"Incoming transmission sir." The Communications officer yelled out.

Admiral Whitcomb's voice came through the bridge's speakers. "_All ships, Covenant forces are emerging from Slipspace. Seven-hundred-fifty plus vessels. Target the Assault Carriers and CCS Battle Cruisers first, take them out before they can snipe the Cruisers, ODPs and War Hammer. Whitcomb out."_

I got stood straight, letting my arms fall to my sides, "Almost eight-hundred vessels of war, compared to our four hundred..." I paused and looked up to the ceiling, closing my eyes and then looking back down. "Rotate main telescope to where the whispers are."

"Aye sir." Somebody responded.

The overhead display screen snapped to a massive shimmering silver portal. Slowly, the Covenant fleet emerged from it, one by one. I gasped when the flagship emerged from Slipspace. It was massive, easily twenty-seven kilometers in length and looked like it could take on the entire third fleet by itself.

"_Everybody, this is it! Fire on my mark!_"

"All weapons ready Captain!" Molly Johansen yelled out, her red locks of hair following her head to look at me.

"Prepare to fire!" I barked out and assumed my seat. "Ronson, prep engines for evasive maneuvers. Tactical, polarize the hull and bring EM Barrier to full strength!"

"Aye sir."

I looked down at the arm mounted display as EM radiation across the fleet skyrocketed. The barriers where what allowed us to survive Plasma Torpedoes. Effectively it chipped away at the magnetic 'bottle' containing the plasma allowing some to be leaked out into space before it smacked into reinforced hulls.

"_All ships! Fire, repeat fire!" _Whitcomb all but shouted over FLEETNET.

"Fire."

Across the four hundred vessels making up the UNSC fleet over Reach, hundreds of MAC cannons flashed, millions of Archer missiles emerged from their housings and raced through the void of space. The twenty one 3000 ton ferric-tungsten Super MAC slugs were the first to hit, instantly shattering two of the Assault Carriers and nineteen of the CCS-Battlecruisers. Next came the regular MAC rounds, smashing into the Covenant vessels at 899,377 meters a second and releasing 96 kilotons of pure, raw kinetic energy. Three dozen Covenant warships, ranging from Frigates to an Assault Carrier died, their remains shattered bits and chunks of hull. Archer missiles carved away another five Covenant Destroyers and Frigates.

The Covenant fleet was disorganized momentarily before firing off a vicious counter attack. Brilliant blue/purple comets raced towards our fleet lines, destroying eight frigates and sixteen Corvettes in an instant. My own ship shook as a trio smashed into our polarized hull and I watched in horror as a _Marathon_ was hit head on by no less than twenty of the fearsome torpedoes. The ship literally exploded from the inside out.

"Armor is sixty percent operational. EM barrier has reduced hits by five to fifteen percent potency." Lieutenant Johansen reported quickly.

"_All ships, break, repeat break. Energy projectors in bound, your main guns should be charged in fifteen seconds. Regroup to same coordinates when charged."_

I gripped the arms of my chair, "Break!" I felt the _Sovereign_ lurch forward and then straight down. Brilliant streaks passed us by as the ODPs and _War Hammer _fired their Super MACs and cut down more of the organic looking Covenant Warships. We circled back around and fired with the fleet again, killing more of the damned Covenant. More of our own warships were falling however, we had lost 125 thus far, including eight of the _Marathons _and three Carriers. The Covenant, a small victory for us, had lost 170.

"_All ships, break and prepare to regroup around Turul. All fighter squadrons, you have a go! Carriers, drop into low atmosphere. Trafalgar, light her up."_

The fourteen remaining UNSC carriers slowly banked, laying their CIWS drones before dropping low into Reach's atmosphere, traveling towards the far edge of the planet, near the Viery territory. Hundreds of Longswords clashed with Seraph's and it was a blood bath, Longswords had superior speed, range and rate of fire but the Seraphs and 'Space Banshees' had agility and firepower. Both were equally matched as 120mm Automatic Cannons on the Longswords tore into Seraph fighters and plasma pulse cannons vaporized Longswords.

The remaining UNSC fleet, about 300 ships remaining, quickly broke rank, firing off quick MAC or Onager shots at the Covenant fleet and downing a few more Frigates and Destroyers. At engines at full burn, we made it to Reach's closest moon in under two minutes, watching the carnage as Shortswords stripped the shields from varying Covenant vessels before either being shot down or escaping.

I watched from my bridge as the decimated Longswords broke off their combat with the equally devastated Seraphs and then I saw _Trafalgar_ open up with her full CIWS, filling space with 50mm High Explosive Railgun Round and 15cm Onager slugs. Seraphs tried to dive or roll out of the massive amounts of ordinance. The Covenant fleet retaliated quickly, sending a massive wave of Plasma Torpedoes that smacked into the thick seven meter thick Tungsten/Titanium armored hull of the _Trafalgar_. Fires began to rage across it's surface and the four kilometer ship began to limp away slowly.

"_Battlegroup Sixteen! Cover the Trafalgar_!" Whitcomb barked out across the fleet channel, "_All ships, loop around and target their carriers and Battlecruisers!"_

A dozen frigates, six destroyers and two _Marathon_ cruisers darted out to rescue the _Trafalgar,_ attempting to distract the Covenant's energy projectors through electronic warfare and ghost signals. Instantly, the cruiser _Titan_ was struck amidship by an Energy Projector, the polarized ten meters of tungsten/titanium armor held for five full seconds before finally failing and allowing the pure lance of energy to bisect the ship in half. A destroyer died in a massive explosion as an Energy Projector ran along it horizontally, instantly slicing the beefy warship in half. The other _Marathon_ cruiser fired her three MAC guns along with a full spread of Archer missiles at a CCS battlecruiser, managing to destroy the equally as large Covenant ship before being fired upon by an energy projector. Most of the bow was severed from the rest of the ship and the rest was sent into a tailspin into space, escape pods shooting out as the crew left the dying cruiser. The remaining frigates and destroyers of the battle group swung their bows around and let off a salvo of MAC rounds and Archer missiles, cutting down two Covenant Destroyers and four frigates before a brilliant white beam of light lanced through space and bisected all of them in a single movement.

The _Trafalgar_ was alone now, venting atmosphere and most of her armor and interior reduced to molten slag. Her few remaining engines flickered weakly as they propelled the ship away from the battle. The Covenant flagship however was not charitable and a brilliant lance of energy reached out and sliced Trafalgar in two, consuming both parts in brilliant fire.

"_Battlegroup Sixteen is down! Repeat! Battlegroup Sixteen is down! My god...Trafalgar is down! Repeat the Trafalgar is down!" _A Frigate captain yelled over fleet net.

"_All ships, fire on the Covenant fleet and regroup! Fall back to the ODPs." _Whitcomb barked.

My ship was at the front of the Destroyer line, in the same formation as earlier, we charged, cutting down nearly seventy Covenant vessels in one fell swoop but loosing eighty of our own vessels. Our engines kicked in and we dove with a pack of Frigates onto a Covenant Light Cruiser.

I examined the readout on the overhead displays, "Have _Savannah_, _Aegis Fate_ and _Warrior_ sync up firing control with us." I ordered, a Covenant Light Cruiser could easily dispatch our group with it's weaponry but a Mako Corvette was distracting it at the moment, the perfect time for us to swoop in and blow the sleek vessel of war to kingdom come.

"Frigates are go for shoot." Johansen called out as she charged our weapon systems and manipulated the CIWS with help of the local Tactical Intelligence, Onagers and 50mm Rail Guns struck down the Phantom Gunships and Seraph Fighters around my small group.

I waited for the display to light up red, a targeting lock. I looked directly forward, "Fire!" I ordered.

The _Sovereign_'s two MAC guns fired, followed by the Frigates' individual ones, four hundred and eighty kilotons of kinetic energy smashed into the Light Cruiser's shields, the first two rounds splattering harmlessly against the shields and the following three carving directly into the 'head' of the vessel, the mid section and the engine block, splitting the warship into two parts. The light cruiser had managed to fire at us however, a dozen plasma torpedoes bore down on the Frigate _Warrior_, vaporizing it, the resulting shock and energy wave damaging the _Aegis Fate_ and _Savannah._

"Warrior is down sir! Heavy damage to _Aegis Fate_ and _Savannah! _Armor is at twenty percent, recommend immediate with drawl!" Somebody yelled out frantically.

I nodded, "Bring us around and link up with Cruiser _Ragnarok _and her battle group. Six _Marathon_'s and her escorts will be enough to protect us for now."

"Aye sir." Helmsman Ronson responded, gently piloting the _Sovereign _into _Ragnarok_'s Battlegroup.

"_All ships, break and regroup around Turul."_ Whitcomb ordered as another pair of Assault Carriers were cracked apart by _War Hammer_'s main gun, more Covenant vessels were dying by the ODPs Battlecruisers, destroyers. If it was Covenant it was to be destroyed. The once powerful fleet had been reduced to three hundred some vessels and the human fleet was down to two hundred and fifty. Slowly, the Covenant fleet turned and disappeared into Slipspace, it was a tactical with drawl but what for? I wondered.

"Sir, incoming transmission from New Alexandria's Defense HQ. Fleet wide." The Communications officer said.

"Let's hear it." I ordered. Battle Group _Ragnarok_ was breaking off from destroying a Covenant Cruiser and joining the rest of the UNSC fleet in a full burn towards Reach's closest moon.

"Aye sir."

A pulse of static radiated from the speakers momentarily. The sounds of artillery and cannons easily audible over the transmission. "_This General Louis, we have Covenant ground forces landing across the planet! New Alexandria is under __siege! Repeat the Covenant is on Reach! All ground forces have been engaged but we're taking heavy casualties! They've destroyed nine of our frigates and we have reports of glassing everywhere! Millions of Covenant are on the surface! They brought everything! Scarabs, Vampires, Sphinxes! Requesting immediate assistance. AHHH!" _A scream filled the transmission as the bunker was hit by plasma fire from a Covenant Frigate above the city.

A roar of a Lucifer Machine gun drowned out the screams, "_This is Sergeant_ _John Peterson, 1__st__ Hrunting Assault Suite Brigade, requesting immediate assistance!"_

"_This is Frigate Ranger, we have Covenant corvettes swarming New Alexandria and other locations, requesting assistance, we can't hold them off much longer!" _The captain of the Ranger yelled over FLEETNET.

"_Ranger, this is War Hammer actual, where are the Covenant coming from?" _Whitcomb asked sharply.

"_I don't know sir...oh my god...sir a Covenant ship just appeared over the Viery territory, Carriers are deploying ground forces and bugging out. My god, its massive, easily twenty seven kilometers. Wait...getting reports, four more of those Super Ships have appeared! They must have been cloaked and evaded out scans while the fleet engaged the main force."_

"_That would explain why the xeno bastards didn't stay behind and shatter by our MACs." _Whitcomb responded to Ranger's transmission. "_Have all Carriers evacuate the Viery territory, then have them rendezvous with the rest of the Fleet in Reach orbit. I have a feeling that they're coming back soon with more forces. We need to be ready, all ships, any ground forces are to be deployed to the planet immediately. War Hammer actual out."_

UNITED NATIONS SPACE COMMAND PRIORITY TRANSMISSION****

ENCRYPTION CODE: OMEGA****

FROM: CODENAME KINGFISH****

TO: CODENAME ROBIN HOOD****

DATE: AUGUST 30th 2552****

SUBJECT: REINFORCEMENTS ****

CLASSIFICATION: EYES ONLY, PLANETARY HEADS OF DEFENSE****

[START]****

Fleet Admiral Terrance Hood,****

Reach held. 451 Covenant Warships destroyed. Three hundred plus of our own destroyed. UNSC _Trafalgar _lost. Covenant have made land fall. Requesting all available forces be redeployed to Reach. Need heavy capitals. Requesting UNSC _INFINITY_ be deployed as well.

OPERATION RED FLAG necessities are green. Will deploy when ground threat is neutralized.

Casualty reports are in attached file.

Send every one you can.

**-**Danforth****

/END/

UNITED NATIONS SPACE COMMAND PRIORITY TRANSMISSION****

ENCRYPTION CODE: OMEGA****

FROM: CODENAME ROBIN HOOD****

TO: CODENAME KINGFISH****

DATE: AUGUST 30th 2552****

SUBJECT: Re: Winter Contingency**  
****  
**CLASSIFICATION: EYES ONLY, PLANETARY HEADS OF DEFENSE**  
****  
**[START]****

Vice Admiral Danforth Whitcomb,

Roger. The 8th, 9th, and 16th Fleets are returning from a strike on Covenant Colony World. They have been rerouted to Reach. ETA one day. UNSC _INFINITY _is busy in Arcturus system, will send if available. Taskforce _Solace_ and _Stalingrad_ en route, eta fourteen hours. By August 31st, you'll have an additional 500 vessels under your command. OPERATION: Red Flag is to be carried on as planned. Do your best Admiral.

God's speed.

-Fleet Admiral Terrance Hood

/END/


	2. Chapter 2: Landfall

~The Siege of Reach~

A Halo AU

**IMPORTANT NOTICE: **This story will be told from multiple first person perspectives that are all linked to each other and will form a narrative. It will be like Halo 3; ODST's narrative of multiple first persons with one first person narrative to tell what the entire group is doing and saying in third person. It will be a perspective a chapter, not one of those fics that switch between every sentence.

**Chapter Two: Helljumper**

**09:00 Hours, August 31st, 2552 (Human Military Calender)/ Council Chambers/High Charity/ Ascension Star System**

"Noble hierarchs." Supreme Commander Thel 'Vadamee said calmly, his voice masking the fear and trepidation he felt kneeling before the three rulers of the Covenant Empire. Sitting upon majestic gravity thrones and adorned with beautiful, golden headdresses, the three frail, worm like creatures-to an outside observer-looked weak but to Thel 'Vadamee, he knew they could kill him in an instant, either by their command or by the weapons mounted in their thrones. Around them, flanking the sides of the chamber walls were dozens of his fellow Sangheili, adorned in armor of a dark purple and brilliant white hue. They were Councillors, the other rulers of the Covenant. Each and every one of them had proven their worth in combat against the Humans or in one of the many internal conflicts that the great Covenant put down each and every day.

"Supreme Commander, your failure to take the tainted planet resulted in the deaths of nearly a _million_ Covenant members and the destruction of some of the most advanced ships in our fleet, along with the cornering of our only four Super Carriers that can not be replaced." The right Hierarch croaked in a eon-old voice that was surprisingly smooth and almost young compared to the others.. "What happened?

Thel 'Vadamee looked up at the Hierarch, the Prophet of Truth. "The system was heavily defended, hundreds of ships and many of those stationary guns were in orbit of the defiler's planet. They waged war with my fleet's Luminaries, distorting our scans and in doing so crippled our ability to engage the Humans at range." He responded.

The center Hierarch spoke next, interrupting Truth, "And why did you not simply fire into the void or have your gunner's manually target their primitive craft? Surely a '_Supreme Commander_'." The Hierarch nearly spat the word at Thel, "could have envisioned a more, unorthodox approach."

"My Prophet, the fleet was still emerging from Slipspace at that the time of their insipid Luminary warfare." Thel responded, a slight bitterness in his tone. "Our weapons had not enough time to be gifted with the God's energy and burn the defiler's craft, we were at their mercy when they fired, cutting deep into the ranks of my fleet."

The Prophet of Truth spoke, his voice calm and soft compared to the others. "Commander, why did you not have the light vessels, such as Frigates, and Destroyers, advance upon the Human fleet before committing the blessed Assault Carriers and Battlecruisers?'

"I did Hierarch, my main ships were in the rear, their holy beams ready to strike down the Human opposition." Thel growled, "They targeted the holy beam-wielding vessels first, striking them down before I had a chance to order the humans destroyed by our might."

Truth sat back in his throne, forming a temple with his long, frail fingers, "You did not try hard enough Supreme Commander...and the blood of millions of loyal servants to the Forerunners, is not on your hands. Including a most holy San 'Shyuum...the Minister of Exultation."

"I know my masters...I have failed in my duties to the gods." Thel 'Vadamee hissed.

A Sangheili councilor rose from his seat, "Nigh! You have lost your _honor."_ A roar of approval over came the ranks of the Councillors. "Heretic slime!"

Thel dropped his helmeted head in shame.

"And yet, somehow, you managed to have the _Long Night of _Solace and her accompanying carriers land on the tainted world and lay siege to it!" Mercy roared through the chamber, "A job well done, yet overshadowed by the destruction of so many war vessels.

Thel glared at the Hierarchs "Why do you not question the Commanders of the fleets destroyed or damaged by that damned Admiral Cole and his spawns! He alone has destroyed _thousands_ of our majestic vessels." Thel made his hand into a fist and rose it, "And he still lays siege and destruction upon our colonies and the breeding worlds of the Unggoy and Mgalekgolo! Question those planet masters for their incompetence and idiocy." Thel roared in response, slamming his fist into the cold metal council floor and denting it. The Sangheili honor guards that guarded the Hierarchs tensed, ready to end the life of the Supreme Commander if a reckless action was made by him.

Mercy grinned, his fiery eyes darting over the Sangheili, "Because most of them are _dead_ peon! The humans have been most..." He paused, "attentive to how they destroy worlds, using this weapon they call 'napalm' on everything and using their projectiles to cause the eruption of great volcanos, blackening the few worlds they have touched and rendering them uninhabitable for eons blood-spiller."

Thel's eyes began full of hate, _he dare call me blood-spiller? There is no worse insult to a Sangheili, if he were not a Heirarch I would decapitate him and parade his flayed carcass around the Holy City._ "And?" Thel said, "We have glassed hundreds of their worlds! Burning our sacred runes into their charred and desolate surfaces! What of the current attrition we are experiencing around their inner colonies? Hmm? Hundreds of our vessels have fallen to their suddenly much more powerful craft! It has been like this for nearly twenty three sector cycles, or years as the defiler's call them." Thel stood fully, "Have those brute Jirhalanae and Sword Less Brothers answer for their idiocy and viral lack of intelligence. DO NOT question me when I have personally slaughtered _million_s of the human vermin on dozens of worlds and have killed a dozen of their _demons_ you wretched worm!"

The Sangheili Honor Guards aimed their Forerunner Light-Rifles and Scatter Shots at the enthralled Supreme Commander. One of them linked into Thel's ear piece, "_Easy brother. The wretched worm's time is coming and I would prefer not to spill the blood of an aristocratic brother who saved my Uncle from the Humans in their attack on Enthralled Victory._

Mercy rose in his throne, "Honor Guard! Remove this..." He was silenced by a sharp back hand by the Prophet of Truth

"Silence you un holy _kal'mak yut'ma!"_ The older Ruler snapped. Truth maneuvered his throne forward slightly, "Supreme Commander, you are one of our most trusted and tactically brilliant soldiers in the Gods' Army and we shall give you a chance to reclaim your honor through battle." Truth paused and flung out a small projector before Thel's standing form. It activated and illuminated the darkened chamber with a light purple representation of the _Unyielding Hierophant. _It was massive, shaped like a figure eight and designed for battle and to maintain entire fleets. Perfect for ending the Human's resistance.

Thel's eye ridge rose in surprise, "You give me command of the _Hierophant_, a mobile station nearly as important and powerful as this blessed city?" He knelt before Truth, "I am honored my most noble Hierarch, your deed shall be honored on the blood of my families!"

Truth's voice became calm, "Do not fail me Thel 'Vadamee or I will see to it that your entire bloodline is wiped from existence and forgotten."

Thel's eyes widened in shock, "Yes Lord Hierarch."

The San 'Shyuum grinned meekly, "I have a request of you however Supreme Commander. When taking the _Unyielding Hierophant_ and your new fleet, I request that you bring the Jirhalanae Chieftain Tartarus and his Legion of Skull Takers along with you."

Thel snapped his head up, "Jirhalanae my lord?" His voice became angry, "They are brutes, barbarians, unfit for the Great Journey we all wish to partake in! I will not have them ruining the courage and honor of my fleet with their dirty tactics and fighting styles!" The proud Sangheili snapped.

"Says a member of the race that invented Active Camouflage." Regret quipped.

Truth's eyebrow rose and the hologram changed to Sangheilios, the home world of Thel. "Then I will _burn_ the providence of 'Vadam and let my Jirhalane raid the Crypt of your ancestors!" He formed his hand into a fist and pulled it close, "And I will have the young fed to Tartarus and the Kig-Yar Sangheili!"

"NO!" Thel roared in response, bowing his head. "I will allow the _brutes" _he used the Human slang for the repulsive creatures, _a most fitting title._ "Onboard my fleet, but if they ignite an insurrection within my ranks, I will spill them into the void!"

Truth leaned back, "Very well Supreme Commander." He paused and adjusted in his seat and leaned over to Mercy, and spoke in his native tongue. He momentarily glanced at Thel 'Vadamee and flicked his hand at him, "Quorum dismissed. Leave now."

All but the Sangheili Honor Guards left, shuffling through the massive doors. Thel was the last to leave, his shadow much larger as the light from the illuminated exterior spilled in. Thel 'Vadamee turned one last time and exited the room. _My blood line will not be ended by my defeat by the wretched vermin. And when this is done, I will make sure that Mercy suffers for his insulting of myself and of my family. That tyrannical worm is unfit to be a Noble Prophet, he should have been cleansed with the rest of the Race all those eons ago!_

Thel kicked a Kig-Yar off the edge of the bridge as he exited the Chambers. _And Jirhalanae, an insult to every Sangheili in __existence. Do they think we are not worthy to burn the Human filth?_ He paused and looked at the massive Forerunner Keyship at the center of _High Charity_, "Have they judged us unworthy of the Great Journey_?"_

A nearby Unggoy heard him, "Heretic." It whispered.

Thel growled and armed once of his plasma grenades, planting it on the breathing apparatus of creature and kicking the diminutive alien off the edge, watching it bounce off several other bridges and beams before finally exploding. Thel roared in laughter, _"_Stupid creature."

–_-_

**09:30 Hours, August 31st, 2552 (Military Calender)/ City Diez /Reach/ Elipson Eridani Star System**

**Second Lieutenant Melinda Benny, 29th ODST, UNSC _Sovereign_**

The pre-deployment briefing room on board the UNSC _Sovereign_ was cramped, the room was square, almost laid out like a college class room, tiered seats leading down to a main floor that held a podium and a holographic projector. Smelling of Sweet William and Cuban Cigars along with the musk of soldiers and a variety of other odors that my nose couldn't quite pinpoint made the location near inhospitable. My ODST hard battle suit's small smart assistant had analyzed the air as normal and had come to the conclusion that there wasn't anything dangerous in the surrounding air. I respectively disagreed but the unidentified odor was the least of my issues and/or problems. The room was square, almost laid out like a college class room, tiered seats leading down to a main floor that held a podium and a holographic projector.

The Covenant were on my home, killing _my _neighbors and burning _my _land. I knew I wasn't alone, the twenty other Orbital Drop Shock Troopers in my platoon had all lost people to those god-damned xenos, some had lost their entire bloodlines and were ready to end their own line just to end a xenos. But, what do you expect when you are in a war of attrition for twenty some years? Then there was our Sergeant, he was from Harvest, the first planet hit in the war. It was now a molten blob slowly cooling in space. Super volcanoes and continent-shattering earth quakes caused by both Covenant and our own bombardment rendering the once fertile farming metropolis world uninhabitable for the rest of time. The twenty million people who lived on it's surface were long gone, either killed by plasma bombardment, the Covenant, or evacuated. The once great monuments built by her inhabitants destroyed by the titanic forces that had decided the planet's fate. The Sergeant was a grizzled middle aged man with a multitude of scars running across his arms and face from several hand-to-hand engagements with xeno slime.

His entire family and wife had been killed by the Covenant's last assault on the planet. He had vowed vengeance upon them and he wore around his neck the severed finger bones of the Sangheili he had killed. He was ruthless on the battlefield, sometimes even when out of ammo he would charge into hand-to-hand combat with his electrified machete. But he was an ass to his men, often throwing their lives away at impossible odds. Any dissent and he crushed it, rumor had it he had sabotaged the HEVs of troopers he had quarrels with and laughed when they burned up in atmosphere.

The squad hated him.

I held great fear of the man.

Why was he still alive? How had the brass not caught on to him? His mere presence in the room was enough to subdue even the greenest Marines out of shear horror. He had yet to arrive but the impending arrival of him was enough to quickly silence the ODSTs that were acting out and being overly loud and vocal for trepidation of making the ape of a man even more enraged.

We were all dressed in our ODST hard battle armor with our sidearms. Some of us were running system diagnostics on our suits, making sure the carbon nanotubes were in place, our refractive armor coatings or light-sensitive camouflage was working to it's full potential.

I personally, was cleaning my emptied MA5D Assault Rifle. It was a newer model of the MA5 series, nearly identical to the previous model MA5C albeit slightly darker. It fired a heavier grained round of the standard 7.62x51m FMJ round with a solid tungsten bullet at about 1500m/s with a range of just over 500 meters. It featured something new that had been overlooked in previous generations. Previously, when a UNSC soldier was helmet less or without a link to his helmet's targeting zoom, he was forced to rely on shooting from the hip or just spamming an area with rounds and hoping to hit something. Now, the electronic's suite positioned on top doubled as a 4x and 8x scope. I smiled underneath my helmet as I connected the M380 underslung 40mm grenade launcher to the Assault Rifle.

Someone lightly punched by shoulder, "Having fun there Melly?"

I looked over, it was Sean, the light brown haired ODST that specialized in ranged combat and doubled as one of the platoon's medics. And my brother. "Hi Sean." I smiled, "You know it."

"All ladies like superior firepower right sis?" He asked "I wouldn't know" He chuckled.

"Ya I know that you dolt." I retorted back. "Heard from mom or dad yet?" I asked.

He nodded, "Yeah, they're okay. There on their way to Earth right now on the evac' transport _Sportsman_."

I let out a sigh of relief, "Thank whatever being there is out there." He turned back and was fiddling with his wrist TACPAD. "You ready to drop?" I asked.

He looked up, "Definitely. I wanna test out the new Series 5 SR out."

I cocked by eye brow, "What do they fire again?"

He grinned and pulled a round the size of the sergeant's finger out from the box. "It fires a fifty caliber armor piercing fin stabilized discarding sabot with a solid ferric tungsten slug at four thousand meters a second." he said, his voice full of excitement.

"Wait, solid ferric tungsten? Isn't that a bit heavy?" I asked, _has to be at least fifteen pounds for the gun alone and another five for each magazine._

"Well you know me, I stay in shape reason." He joked.

I laughed, "I thought you told me that you stay in shape for the g..." I was interrupted as the Platoon's Sergeant walked in. He was dressed in his full armor and had two M8S Submachine Guns holstered on his hip along with an MA5D across his back. He wore an Explosive Ordinance Disposal variant of the standard ODST helmet, making his already black armor and personality seem even darker.

The lights in the room darkened and everybody stopped what they were doing and looked directly at our commander. He walked up to behind the podium and the massive projector in the room activated, bathing the area in a cold blue light. The planet being projected was distinguishable to everybody here.

Reach.

And the pictures being displayed along side it brought many to a bloody rage. New St. Paul was burning from combat between Hrunting 'Algolis' Assault Suite Exoskeletons and Covenant Sphinxes. Sky scrappers were collapsing across the planet as the Covenant fortified themselves in our structures. The only way to clear the infestation was to destroy the buildings and that had happened to New St. Paul. It had once been home to millions now it was home to broken, burning buildings and Algolis Exoskeleton Platoons battling with their hyper-advanced Covenant counterparts.

The once lush fields were now burning from plasma fire. Grizzlies and Scorpions battled Wraith, Locusts and Scarabs. Mammoth Super APCs transported dozens of Marines and Algolis troopers to where they needed to be, Switchblade Strike Fighters, Longswords and Hornets battled with Covenant Corvettes, Banshees and Seraphs.

New Alexandria was aflame as UNSC Frigates battled Covenant Frigates and Corvettes. They were too close for MACs, forcing our air borne navy to rely on Missiles and Onagers to destroy the powerful vessels. The fleet in orbit was only useful at the moment for light bombardment and troop deployment as the MACs on any Capital, or evan a Frigate for that matter would shatter everything within fifty miles if fired due to the massive sound and shock wave.

The city only next to New Alexandria in beauty, Manassas. It was a class crater, the one-hundred and fifty million inhabitants either evacuated in time, or glassed by the Covenant Super Carrier hovering above the ruins of the city. The Navy had tried to destroy that Super Carrier, even going as far to call in a full MAC barrage from the Battlegroup Ragnarok_, _but all it had done was impact the shields.

The Sergeant took off his helmet and grimaced. "Helljumpers of the 29th!" He barked out. We jumped from our seats and saluted him sharply and in unison. He waved his hand at us and waited for us to sit down before starting. "Troopers, the Covenant have done we did to their ugly ass planets, blitzkrieg us with overwhelming force while the pretty ass Navy boys sat in orbit with their little warships destroying the xeno slime's rather large force. Well, they sucked that up pretty damn bad, seeing as casualties are already at twenty million. They should've been in the 105th where it matters to die!"

"Sergeant, the _Sovereign_ alone downed nearly twenty vessels and saved your redneck ass from having to go toe to toe with even more of the split jaws or worm boys." The commander of the UNSC _Sovereign_ snapped back as he entered the room, he was tall with brown hair and piercing grey eyes and had a build of an ODST. "The navy destroyed even more, almost five-hundred ships laden with thousands of their soldiers and vehicles." He got up close to the Sergeant, "So I suggest you take your self-importance, your misplaced sense of superiority and your outright intolerance of us who transfer your stinking asses from planet to planet and make sure you don't have to deal with millions more of Covenant, and shove it!"

The Sergeant's hand grabbed for his pistol and his eye twitched with it. Captain Luke Cortez was ahead of him however, already having drawn his M6D from the holster and pressing against the Sergeant's gut. He got close to the Sergeant's ear, "_Say anything like that again or even attempt to reach for your gun in the presence of me or a superior officer in anger and I will make sure your carcass is jettisoned with the rest of the trash into space. Understand Sergeant?"_

The Sergeant was visibly angry, his face red and sweat pouring down. Luke Cortez however was calm slowly relaxing the pressure of his pistol on the Sergeant's gut before holstering it. "Yes..._sir."_

Luke turned to go back to the room's corner to observe the briefing, "Do your business and get out before I throw you out" The Captain snapped. "The UNSC doesn't need confrontational soldiers like you."

The Sergeant straightened his armor and turned towards us. "29th, we will be dropping onto the Covenant Super Carriers outer hull and inserting via a hole that the UNSC _Sovereign_ will be providing. Is that correct _sir?"_

All eyes went to Captain Cortez, "Yes it is, _Sergeant_." I chuckled to myself, _the Sergeant is being put down, bout time. "_The _Sovereign_ will be deploying all of you after Battlegroup _Ragnarok_ and the ODP _Charleston_ take down its shield and blast a MAC round through each one of it's lightly armored hangars. Each of your HEVs have been outfitted with additional grappling and repelling gear necessary to get through the destroyed decks." He paused and stood straighter, walking to the front of the room, "Once inside you will plant your C12 charges on it's reactors, plasma reserves and bridge."

The Sergeant took over. "You will be divided into three groups. A group led by me, a group led by second lieutenant Shepard and one by second lieutenant Benny." He paused and turned to the projection. The image changed from the besieged Reach to the objective itself. "Benny will be tasked with taking the Bridge, Shepard the plasma magazines and I will go for the Reactor."

Cortez began to speak again. "Remember stay in contact at all times. This is part of OPERATION: Upper Cut. All UNSC military assets have been deployed and the two other Covenant Super Carriers we found are going to be hit at the same time."

I raised my hand, "What about the forth one?"

Cortez looked at me, "The SPARTANs of NOBLE team, the Frigate _Savannah _along with some antiquated albeit upgraded Sabers will be dealing with it, they're using a improperly mounted Slipspace drive to cut the thing in two parts.

Someone else in the audience asked another question, "Sir, if you can drop it's shields, why don't we just shove a SHIVA down the split jaw's throats?"

Cortez nodded, "If we detonated a SHIVA or Harpoon to destroy it, the nuclear fall out would interact with the hurricane that's approaching the area and spread it across the world. That's also why we are delaying in using tac-nukes until their absolutely necessary, the Covenant has laid siege to areas with heavy wind currents. They know we aren't going to poison our own air and planet, so that's why were going to do it from the inside. We won't damage the ship enough for its shields to be permanently disabled. After they're down for a few minutes, they'll pop back up and because xeno ships have backup generators for their defense shields, it will contain the blast until it dissipates into nothingness."

_Makes sense, less to no radiation leaking in the air and less collateral damage, if theres anything left to damage._ I thought.

The Sergeant looked around, "Anymore _questions?_" he asked.

Cortez turned towards the door, "All Helljumpers dismissed, go to your pods and prepare to drop in five minutes!" He ordered and we all slowly shuffled from the room, grabbing weapons and ammunition on our way. The Sergeant glared at us as we made our way to the _Sovereign's _drop bays. The ship had gone to battle ready status with the whine of the sirens. I climbed into my HEV pod in the small section designated for my five man group.

My brother climbed into the pod next to me and nodded, his helmet visor polarizing as he fitted his Series five SR, BR85 Battle Rifle and M6D into the pod before closing the hatch. I leaned back and sighed. My MA5D, an M6D on my hip and a M45E Shotgun were surrounding me. The five green dots of my squad popped up into existence on my Heads-Up-Display all were green.

I recited their names. Joshua, Sean, Beneatha, Edgar and me.

"_All ODSTs of the 29th, prepare to drop in five." _I blinked rapidly, adjusting in my seat. _Okay, just another jump_ I told myself.

_Four._" I grinned, I loved dropping.

"_Three."_

"_Two."_

"_One."_

I roared as the HEV dropped at thousands of meters a second. I looked at the window at the twenty some other pods being deployed by the _Sovereign_ as they raced down into Reach's upper atmosphere. The Destroyer we had just left began to reorientate itself, bring it's MAC guns to bear on the Covenant Super Carrier below. The rest of Battlegroup _Ragnarok_ followed suit and quickly fired off two barrages of MAC rounds in thirty seconds. The heavy slugs zipped past us and slammed into the rapidly growing Super Carrier. It's shields flared and then failed, six light MAC slugs, used only for ground bombardment, slammed down from orbit, creating a gapping hole through three areas of the ship

With a loud thud, the drop pods landed onto the hull of the Super Carrier. We had all made it, all of my squad's lights were green and that was all I cared about. Sean's pod was the first to pop open, he rolled out, bringing his BR85 up with a quick snap and scanning the area. I kicked my pod's door open next and did the same with my MA5D. Edgar popped open his pod followed by Beneatha and Josh.

We lowered our weapons and I stepped forward, looking at my group, "We ready?" I said through the squad's com link.

Joshua nodded, "_Yes ma'am." _

Beneatha loaded her M90A Automatic Shotgun, "_Ready."_

Sean slung his BR85 and took out his Sniper Rifle, "_Lets go kill some xenos."_

Edgar rotated his arm, "_Im ready ma'am. Let's do this."_

I grinned underneath my helmet. "Okay. Grab your repelling gear and move out, we gotta be quick."

"Yes ma'am."

Battlegroup _Ragnarok_ had done a number on the vessel I mused, the MACs had blown straight through the ship, shearing off apart entire sections of the vessel, the pure size of the alien making its destruction very difficult even for the megaton level firepower that _Ragnarok _could spew but it made my squads, and the other squad's jobs much easier as the attack had decreased the amount of crew present on the Covenant vessel by a fair amount. Less for us to deal with as the three squads fought our way to our objectives.

We repelled down into a secondary hangar that had dozens of small fires creeping dangerously close to plasma containment modules and the corpses of a variety of Covenant races, Elites, Jackals, Grunts, even a pair of Hunters were dead on the ground, support beams and leaked plasma having cut their lives short.

We were fanned out, weapons ready.

"_Sis, we got Grunts and Elites closing in fast. Eta two minutes." _Sean said quietly over the com link. He had a longer range motion tracker than the rest of the squad as part of the Sniper War Package he was allotted.

I nodded, "Everybody, positions." We ran to cover, Sean far in the back, prone on an elevated platform with his SR. Edgar and I were positioned behind a wall panel that had been sheared off from the attack. Beneatha was pressed against a still-standing pillar, herself and the M392 DMR poking out from the side facing the door where the Covenant entourage would exit from. Josh was several feet above us on a catwalk, his MA5D ready.

The door slowly opened, it's damaged circuitry reducing it's movement and speed and making the usually very pleasing-if indirectly terrifying-hum of it opening into a jarring, almost ripping noise. We were about thirty meters away from the door when it opened and watched as an Elite Major, two Minors and thirty some Grunts staggered into the room with Plasma Repeaters, Pistols, and Carbines. They were clustered together, the Grunts, one minor on each end and the Major in the middle.

"_Hold fire."_ I ordered as the door closed behind them, "_Sean, take out the Major."_

"_Roger." _Sean responded, lining up his shot. A massive crack filled the hangar bay as a fifty caliber APFSDS tungsten round split the Sangheili Major's head in half, his decapitated corpse falling forward with blue blood pooling around it. "_Split jaw down." _He reported.

"Open fire, repeat weapon's free." I ordered.

Edgar and I popped out from cover and pumped an entire clip each into the lead Grunts, downing ten of the methane-breathing dog-like aliens. Josh fired on the minor on the left, emptying an entire clip into the shield and popping it before dropping down with his machete on the beast and driving the long blade into the aliens skull. The creature gurgled and died as it's brain was sliced in half by the serrated titanium blade. Edgar roared as the blood began to flow around the corpse. The last minor roared, pulling his Energy Sword from the utility belt and igniting the two blue blades of pure, raw plasma. It charged at us, a Sangheili war cry emanating from deep within it's throat.

The Elite primed a Plasma Grenade and flung it at Joshua, striking the young ODST in the faceplate. Josh grabbed the helmet and flung it off himself. The grenade detonated, incinerating his left arm up to the elbow and scorching the armor around him. He fell to the floor screaming, painful screeches from him as the plasma burned through him. The Elite roared in approval, charging at me as I emptied a full magazine into it's god-ugly form. It's shields popped and failed, bullets tearing deep into it's hide, shredding bone, organs and muscles in a symphony of gore. The alien continued forward before Sean's SR fired, decapitating the alien creature.

I kept firing until my gun went dry, the bullet ridden eviscerated corpse of my foe dropping onto the floor in a splatter of blood and guts.

I looked up at my HUD, Joshua's was red. The squad ran over to the rapidly bleeding out ODST. Sean jumped down from the platform and all out sprinted towards his friend. His armored hands running across Josh's armor, trying to find the bio-foam injection port.

Josh's right hand grabbed Sean's, he leaned forward, coughing up thick, crimson blood. "Keep Melly safe for me...please..."

Sean grimaced, "Josh, please no. Hold on, I'll call evac, get a Pelican down here to get you off the ship..." Josh's grip went lax and his head smacked against the ground.

I put my hand on Sean's shoulder. "He's gone."

"_Lieutenant Benny, this is Ensign Bleu, UNSC Sovereign. What is your status? Lance Corporal Joshua Tenner's life signs are gone, are you alright?"_

I looked up at the ceiling, "Negative _Sovereign_, Lance Corporal Joshua Tenner is KIA."

"_Roger Lieutenant, I'll forward your report to Captain Cortez and to your Sergeant."_ _Sovereign_ responded.

"Thank you _Sovereign_. Lieutenant Benny out." I said. My hand rested on Sean's shoulder, Joshua had been like a brother to him, they had grown up together, and with me when Josh's family had been killed when a Covenant battle group had broken through Admiral Cole's battle line and began glassing the planet. "Sean...we have to go." I said with a pang of sadness in my tone.

Sean nodded his head rapidly, "Yeah...i...i know." He stood back up, grabbing Joshua's dog tags and putting them in his pocket. He shouldered his Series Five and grabbed his BR85. "Let's blow this ship." He said, his once jubilant and light hearted tone now replaced with one as stone cold and sharp as The Sergeant's. It scared me.

"Okay Helljumpers...move out!" I ordered.

**Author's Note: **Hee hee I know a cliff hanger ending. Aren't I evil? Anyhow, read and review and cupcakes on top all that good stuff. Next chapter will focus on Thel 'Vadamee returning to Reach with the _Unyielding Hierophant _and a rather sizable Covenant fleet tagging along to really, make this an extended siege. Also, our favorite Admiral will be making an appearance soon along with a mystery Human ship constructed in the Oort Cloud along with a devious plan by a certain Halsey-hating ONI officer to put herself in control, even if it means the glassing of Reach and the death of a certain admiral. Stay tuned for updates!


	3. Chapter 3: Unyielding Hierophant

~The Siege of Reach~

A Halo AU

**Author's Note: **Well, reception to this fic is super positive, I love it! Keep the reviews and commentary coming and thanks to WarpObscura for general beta-ing (is that even a word). Anyhow, in this chapter, we return to space as Thel 'Vadamee returns with the _Unyielding Hierophant_ and his new fleet to finally purge humanity from the world...were it so easy.

**Chapter Three: Unyielding Hierophant**

**12:30 Hours, August 31st, 2552 (Military Calendar)/UNSC _Sovereign/ _Reach Orbit/ Elipson Eridani System**

"_This is Rebecca Santiago, reporting from the UNSC _War Hammer _in orbit over Reach. The battle for Reach is in its third day as UNSC forces continue in their campaign to neutralize the Covenant ground forces. Losses have been heavy on both sides as the fighting has turned to biblical-scale battles and grueling urban combat. Admiral Whitcomb has been tight lipped about operations against the four Covenant Super Carriers in atmosphere but eye witness reports claim to have seen ODSTs drop onto the hulls of these massive vessels."_I sat stiffly in my command chair, watching the news cast. She was standard reporter material, she thought she knew everything and she had an almost naïve view of what was truly going on. Hard to believe that someone,_anyone_, could be so naïve in the face of a war that had killed billions.

"Captain Cortez." Somebody called out; it was the communications officer.

I looked over at him, pausing the report, "Yes Lieutenant" I asked him, "What is it?"

"I have received a communications package from Second Lieutenant Melinda Benny of the 29th." He responded. He pressed a prompt on his console and Lieutenant Melinda Benny's voice filled the speakers.

"_Repeat UNSC Sovereign, this is Second Lieutenant Melinda Benny, acting commander of the 29th the Sergeant is down, all explosives have been planted on target. Frigate _Grafton _s en route to pick us up. ETA fourteen minutes. Will detonate after we evac."_There was a roar of MA5Ds and LMGs clattering in the background along with the smooth, wispy sounds of Covenant plasma weapons. A massive explosion reverberated through the channel, "_Ah...Sovereign, requesting immediate assistance, they've brought out Hunters! Need immediate evac!" _There was more shouting, "_Somebody grab Ronald's LMG, hose those xenos!" _She shouted to somebody near her.

The channel was cut and my expression became stern as I walked to the brass railing. "Power up the engines Helmsman Ronson, inform Commodore Rodriguez on the _Ragnarok t_hat we will be extracting the 29th from the Super Carrier. Ensign Johansen, bring all weapon systems online and open the landing bay doors, we're going in firing."

"Aye sir! Activating all weapons and opening bay doors!" The perky weapons officer responded, a series of green dots lighting up across her console, "All systems ready, MACs will be ready for firing in twenty seconds."

I walked to the tactical plotting table and called up a projection of the area around the targeted Super Carrier. Two Covenant Frigates were hovering around the damaged warships, Spirit and Phantom drop ships were depositing troops into the wounded vessel to attempt the killing of the ODSTs onboard. Several Falcon and Sparrow Hawk groups were in the area, attempting to intercept the drop ships before they could land and reinforce the troops inside. The UNSC air craft though were in range of the Frigate's point-defense laser cannons, making their valiant efforts and progress incredibly costly in terms of lives and vehicles as they were simply swatted down like flies.

I looked up, "Communications officer, open a channel to Second Lieutenant Benny."

The man nodded, "Channel established."

I tapped my earpiece, "Lieutenant Benny, this is _Sovereign _Actual. We hear you. Prepare your men for immediate evac, we are coming to get you. Fall back to the outer hull, where your Sergeant's squad entered, stay out of sight, they have frigates less than two kilometers out from the Super Carrier and if they see you they'll burn the area with pulse lasers. Hold out for five more minutes."

Melinda responded back, her voice frantic and partially obscured by the roar of battle occurring around her, "_Roger that _Sovereign _Actual, just hurry up...we're running low on bio-foam, med kits and ammunition. ETA three minutes until we're completely out. Benny out."_

The channel was closed and I looked forward towards the bridge window, "Ronson, bring us into atmosphere, full speed. Johansen, ready to fire MACs at the Covenant frigates on my command, full power followed up by an Archer missile barrage. Use the _Onagers t_o take out their drop ships when we're in range." I commanded and braced myself as the _Sovereign _dove into the atmosphere, twirling as she did so, her brilliant engines glistening in the particle-filled atmosphere. The projection transformed to a crude representation of the distance between the Super Carrier and us, connected by a studded red line with numerous lines of information beside each one. We were only a few dozen kilometers away from the Frigates, but in atmosphere, a MAC round would lose a lot of its kinetic energy due to friction and other factors and its range was shortened by the planet's gravity and wind. We had to be close and that's what I intended to do, shove two metric ton slugs down their split jaws.

We broke through the cloud cover and could finally see where the Super Carrier and her protectors stood. They had moved since we had dropped the ODSTs on them but not much, only about ten kilometers. I tapped my earpiece again, "All UNSC forces in the area, this is UNSC _Sovereign_, MAC rounds are in atmosphere, prepare for shock and sound wave."

"We are in range." Johansen called out from her station. Her brow was sweating from stress.

I pursed my lips and slammed my fist onto the edge of the plotting table, "Fire! Shatter them!"

My ship shuddered as two one metric ton ferric tungsten slugs accelerated out at a faction of the speed of light, two massive booms followed several seconds later and the entire ship shook as the shock wave radiated out from the MAC barrels. The two rounds crossed the distance between us and the Covenant frigates in a blink of an eye, coring through the vessels and consuming one of them in fire, sending the sleek, almost aquatic animal looking vessel careening into the molten ground below.

"MAC's recharging in twenty seconds, firing Archer pods." Molly Johansen said aloud. I could see that we were moving now, angling ourselves for an optimal firing pattern. Less than two seconds later, hundreds of M58 Archer Missiles accelerated from their housings and bored down on the wounded Covenant vessel. The alien vessel's remaining Pulse Lasers flashed, striking down thirty percent of the missiles in the first few moments of flight, more fell until only twenty percent remained. Those hundred and twenty missiles were enough however, detonating against the armor and wrenching entire sections off and onto the surface below. The ship began to list and tumble towards it's downed companion, it's engines flickering before finally dying, puking out plasma from it's many wounds.

I tapped my earpiece, "Second Lieutenant Benny, Covenant Frigates are down. Hold on for another two minutes."

"_Roger sir." _She responded, irritation evident in her voice, "_Dammit!__ Somebody, shove a one-oh-two down that Hunter's throat!"_

I walked forward away from the plot table and near my seat, resting my hand on the head rest, "Ronson, reverse us in to where they are."

"Aye sir."

Sovereign swung around, reversing her thrusters and literally backing herself into a broken area of the Super Carrier. The small hangar bay door on the ship was lowered and the few marines on board were aiming their weapons down to where Benny and her squad were engaging the group of Covenant.

Lieutenant Benny turned around when she heard the roar of engines and grinned when the _Sovereign_'s beckoning form took up her vision. She turned back to the squads, "Okay boys and girls, get moving."

A dozen ODSTs started to run before engaging their M805X Forward Acceleration System and literally flinging themselves onto the deck of the _Sovereign_'s hangar.

Melinda Benny and her squad slowly began to pull back, racking the Covenant line with rounds, downing the diminutive Grunts and Elites in a hail of bullets. Sean was quick and methodical, taking out the heavily armed Grunts and Elites before they could use their weapons to their full advantage against his comrades. Blue and purple blood stained the floor along with bits and pieces of body parts from the fallen aliens.

Three shots rang out from his Series Five, the first two shots taking down the shields of the Elite General that had trotted into battle with a Plasma Carbine and Energy Sword in hand, and the third and final bullet coring through the creature's skull, spraying brain and skull against the wall. Sean swore loudly through the squad's radio channel as he discovered, to his dismay, that he had no ammunition remaining for his favored weapon.

He stood fully, grabbing the Sniper Rifle and pitching it aside, growling as he did so. He looked down for a split second, picking up his BR85 Long Barreled Service Rifle. He brought it up and filled the forehead of a Jackal with ferric tungsten. The creature sputtered and died. Melinda's brother jumped down from the platform, firing non stop, his armor being singed by plasma. The standard genetic enhancements were enough for him to keep standing, his hard battle suit injecting him with massive amounts of stimulants, bio-foam, and synthetic adrenaline.

"_Sean!" _Melinda screamed, grabbing her brother's shoulder and thrusting him down behind cover. He was still screaming from the amount of chemicals and drugs his armor had injected him with to keep him alive. Right now, however, he was overdosing. There were safety protocols to stop this from happening but something must have had malfunctioned, possibly from battle damage or just a fluke, a default. Either way, his system was being flooded with chemical and drug cocktails that were going to make his heart stop beating.

Melinda stood up and pulled Sean close by his chest, putting his thrashing form in front of her. She started to run as best she could with the extra weight of her brother and his armor. When they were only a few meters away from the _Sovereign's _landing bay's deployed door she activated her thruster pack, propelling them for just a mere second into the beckoning hold of the UNSC Destroyer.

She dropped Sean and removed his helmet, his eyes were bloodshot and veins were popping up around his forehead. She tried to calm him down while calling for assistance. "I need a medical team down here now! We have an overdose on survival medications and synthetic adrenaline!"

Several medical personnel ran forward, dropping to their knees beside Sean. The lead one gently pushed Melinda aside, "Ma'am we need you to stand aside, we have this under control." turning back he retrieved a data pad from his utility belt and activated it, giving him an instant record of Sean Benny's medical history.

Melinda took one last look back at her thrashing brother and shook her head. She walked forward and brought her MA5D up to a firing position. She herself was on the edge of the bay door, hanging on by magnetic clamps in her boots. Her assault rifle fired, giving covering fire for the few remaining ODSTs to retreat and jump into the _Sovereign_. The last three did, leaving behind a block of C12 plastic explosive. The last corporal squeezed the trigger on the detonator and watched as a sizable contingent of remaining Covenant troops were incinerated by the explosive.

Melinda turned away from the damaged Covenant Super Carrier and tapped her earpiece, "Sovereign, this is Second Lieutenant Melinda Benny, we are aboard, blow the ship. Repeat blow the ship, we are aboard."

"_Sovereign_, _this is Second Lieutenant Melinda Benny, we are aboard, blow the ship. Repeat blow the ship, we are aboard." _The ODST reported in.

I walked to the brass railing and gripped it. "Ronson, get us clear. Johansen, when we're out of the blast radius detonate the explosives." I ordered calmly. I braced myself ever so slightly as the bulk of my ship started to accelerate away from the much larger Covenant vessel. I had an excellent view of the damage to the ship: there were enormous holes in the hull, scaffolding and other supports were charred and clearly visible were the armor had been stripped or burned off. Fires raged across her hull courtesy of the firefights that had occurred within her interior.

"Captain Cortez, sir, we are out of the blast radius." Molly Johansen stated flatly as we began to reach orbit.

I acknowledged her report with a curt nod of my head. "Detonate."

"Aye sir." She responded. Leaning over slightly, Molly tapped a prompt on her console and a massive explosion quickly followed as the three portable MOABs detonated.

The displays changed to the image of the Super Carrier crumpling as three large explosions rippled across her, only intensified by the explosions being contained within the rapidly diminishing shields. Her aft section was the first part to break apart, signified by a truly enormous eruption of fire and debris. The multiple engines, each easily as long as the _Sovereign _vomited out flame and debris. The plasma reserves were the next to detonate, explosions rippling across the vessel before it finally exploded in a flash of light as the charge on the bridge joined it's brothers. The vessel was consumed by a flash of brilliant purple blue light. Covenant shields, in atmosphere, were able to hold for approximately thirty to forty-five seconds after their generators and emitters had been destroyed. The shields contained the blast, allowing it to dissipate into near nothingness.

"Helmsman, bring us back into orbit with Battlegroup _Ragnarok. _I'll be in my quarters." I said as I walked off the bridge, the heavy doors sealing behind me with a mechanical hiss.

**12:35 Hours, August 31st, 2552 (Human Military Calendar)/Covenant Flagship _Seeker of Truth/ _Slipspace/ In transit to Elipson Eridani System**

Supreme Commander Thel 'Vadamee growled as he sat deathly still in his command throne, carefully studying a simulated battle against the human forces arrayed around what the Noble Hierarchs believed to be the vermin's home world, using it's vast array of defenses and level of industrialization as evidence. Thel shook his head at the thought. No, he had seen equally well defended worlds in the Humans' empire in his quest to purge the mammals from the cosmos.

He leaned back and gently stroked his chin. The Humans had arrayed a brilliant defense against his initial forces, keeping their weaker vessels in the back and allowing their more heavily armed ships to have a direct line of fire towards his own heavily armed vessels, cutting down those with the holy beams first to prevent the long range destruction of their fleet. He had seen similar maneuvers before; they were optimized for the Human's near-equal power in space. Yet, the destruction of a large portion of his fleet was partially on his own hands he knew. In his urgency to glass the tainted world he had dropped out of slipspace too close to the planet, a mere two million kilometers. At that distance, his ships were an easy target for the UNSC fleet.

He stood up, the hologram detaching from its position and following its master. He wiped his brilliant golden cape back, away from him and ponded the image once more. He would not make the same mistake again. He reached out with long, sharp fingers and twisted the runes on the projection's surface. It changed to that of the Fleet of Unyielding Justice and the massive mobile space station at its core.

He smirked somewhat. The _Unyielding Hierophant _was his key to absolving the human infection. It carried with it enough firepower to crush an entire Covenant fleet but it wasn't suited for long range combat, only short to medium range. It had no holy beams, only torpedoes, lasers and cannons to defend itself, but had the unique ability to expand its powerful shield around an entire group of vessels if they were close would give him an advantage against the humans: he could have his ships survive much longer with an overarching shield of protection. Inside the fortress held millions of Covenant soldiers, all in cold-slumber and filling every available area. If he could manage to bring it into orbit of the human's world, then he could unleash the pent up rage of his fellows upon the helpless world below.

But the humans would not give up, their tanks were a match for three of his _Wraith_, the humans using 120mm Gauss weaponry accompanied by a set of dual 40mm guns on each and every_Tarantula A_ssault Tank. His Banshees would be torn asunder by the Human air craft in seconds if they didn't swamp the foes in sheer numbers. Only his infantry and War Sphinxes would manage to hold the line without sheer numbers or tenacious luck.

Turning quickly, Thel deactivated the hologram with a flick of his wrist and proceeded back to his command throne. He craned his neck back, stretching the muscles and tendons in it before looking straight ahead towards the display.

"Important day today Sangheili." The Jirhalanae chieftain Tartarus said, his massive footsteps reverberating through the command deck's floor. The ornamented Fist of Rukt was in his hands, the ancient but still very deadly Gravity Hammer adorned with animal skin and several bones.

Thel 'Vadamee looked over to where the massive primate stood and nodded slightly, "Indeed it is, the Humans have defied us for too long. The Hierarchs want this world purged quickly." The Supreme Commander leaned forward. "And I will see that their requests are met with ample completion on a satisfactory time table."

Tartarus chuckled to himself, pacing forward on the bridge. It was no secret that his kind and the Sangheili had bad blood between each other and as such, both kept distance from each other, trying not to stir up old fires. Tartarus looked over and studied Thel examining another hologram of the planet, his hands jittering ever so lightly as he twisted the hologram to show the human fleet. "Do you fear them Sangheili?"

"Fear them?" Thel looked at the massive Brute, his voice becoming deadly, "No, I do not fear them. I respect them as warriors that are fighting against the inevitable demise of their entire kind." He tapped the armrest. "They are capable of a great many things but victory is not one of those things."

Tartarus suppressed a grin. "Then why have they defied our attempts to purge their inner colonies? What is to explain their sudden string of victories and their turning this quick and decisive war into a struggle of attrition?" He was baiting this Sangheili, trying to make him snap. "Perhaps it is because your own kind have failed?"

"In the first few years of war," Thel growled, "We were fighting around their outer worlds against obsolete forces, but when we finally killed that twenty billionth human, they came at us with every advanced ship they had, striking us down before we had a chance to purge the next series of worlds in the name of the Forerunners." He paused, looking back forward, "These humans, especially this Whitcomb, Cole and Rio have proven to be much more difficult to subdue compared to the rest of their fleet commanders."

Tartarus smiled, revealing rows of sharp teeth. "Many of our worlds have burned at their hand have they not? And were they not protected by the mighty Sangheilian armadas?" He asked pointedly.

A laugh erupted from Thel. "What about your home planet? Thirty percent of your population wiped out in a single attack by the humans! Doisac's fleet outnumbered the attackers three-to-one, yet with your kind's incompetency, your fleet was annihilated by theirs." Thel paused for a moment, planning his next words carefully, "The only reason your world was not rendered uninhabitable was due to the Imperial Admiral arriving and annihilating the majority of that Stanforth's flotilla before they could cause the eruption of your world's super volcanoes."

Tartarus moved forward slightly, the Fist of Rukt clanking. "Sangheili." His voice became agitated.

Thel looked at him, "Jiralhanae, make a move against myself or my fellows and your life shall be measured in seconds."

Tartarus snarled at him, turning sharply and walking out of the bridge. Thel shook his head. The Jiralhanae were an enigma to him;sometimes they acted as if they had not been blessed with intelligence from the Forerunners, and other times, they acted with the wisdom of the San'Shyuum

Another series of heavy footsteps brought Thel's attention to the large, well armored Fleetmaster that was walking towards him. The Sangheili bowed, "Supreme Commander, we are preparing to emerge from Slipspace. The fleet has reported in, all vessels are ready."

Thel nodded,"Very well." He snapped his head left, "Communications! Contact all vessels in the fleet!"

The Unggoy Ultra manning the station responded with a curt nod.

Thel stood fully, "Crews of the Fleet of Unyielding Justice! Today, we set forth to purge those who defeated us, dishonored our families. On the blood of our fathers, on the blood of our sons, we swore to strike down all those who would oppose our sacred Covenant!" His voice became low and strong. "Let the rivers of their world run red with their blood. Turn their fields into glass brothers."

"Supreme Commander, we are ready to emerge." an Ultra barked out.

Thel nodded and made a fist. "Begin."

**12:45 Hours, August 31st, 2552 (Military Calendar)/UNSC Long Range System Monitoring Outpost Zeta-Two_/ _Elipson Eridani System**

The smell of Cuban Cigars hung in the recycled air like a sweet perfume, clouds of the appealing smoke hanging high in the ceiling along with the stale smell of old food. Generic, loud pop music blared through the small 80 meter station's control center where the one man who inhabited this scanning station reclined in his chair, socked feet propped up on the operations console.

"Richard." A dull, female voice called out. "Richard." A flare of brilliant blue light illuminated the room as a small foot tall woman appeared. She snapped her fingers and the music stopped, her form flaring purple for a moment in annoyance. Her sharp appearance matched her attitude it seemed. "Dick, get your ass out of that chair." She yelled irritably.

Richard Iruel nearly tipped the chair over when she yelled. His arm thrashed around until he managed to grab a hand rail and pull himself back up. He straightened his uniform in a rush and adjusted his cap. "Damn it Melissa..." he said, groggily rubbing his eyes with weathered palms.

The AI chuckled, "You know, if there was anybody with rank onboard this station you'd be in trouble for your..." She swung her arm around, "laziness."

Richard shook his head and laughed, "If the _Apocalypso _would hurry up and pick you up already we wouldn't have to have this discussion hun." He roughly pressed a button and gritted his teeth. "And I could go back to listening to my tunes."

Melissa cocked her eye brow, "How you even managed to get the rank of lieutenant is beyond me considering a Covenant Grunt would be more competent at his job."

Richard grinned, "Watch it missy or I'll flood your memory with a certain internet image board."

The AI laughed, "And I'll forward your search history to ONI, they'd be awfully interested in the searches involving octopus and grunts."

His ears shifted back, he was insulted. "Wait, how do you know?" He acted confused to her joke.

She grinned, "Security cameras..."

"Damn you woman!" he yelled, laughing shortly after.

Melissa smiled a bit. But something suddenly grabbed her attention and her form flared to a shade of red. "Richard, start scanning grid Zeta thirty three."

Richard's expression turned into one of confusion "What? Wait, z thirty three, that's barely in the Epsilon Eridani star system."  
Melissa shook her head, "Just do it Richard."

Richard complied and probed the very edge of the Epsilon Eridani star system. Within a minute, his results were delivered .They popped up on the display directly in front of him, including a ghostly image of something every UNSC sailor knew, the distinct silhouette of a Covenant Battlecruiser. More and more started to pop in from a slipspace rift, the amount of ships tripling with every new image.

"No, it can't be, they can't be coming back again." He raced his hands over the controls of the station, sealing off the bulkheads and activating the two M910 point defense rail guns. "Melissa, how far away is your ship?"

The AI looked downtrodden, "It's close enough for me to upload."

Richard looked at her. "Go, Melissa, I must send a message to FLEETCOM."

"Richard," Melissa said before numerous alarms started to blare.

Richard Iruel stood up and ran to a terminal off on the left. "Go! Get to the Prowler," He shouted. "I'll evac in an escape pod but get the ship and yourself away from the xeno fleet."

"Ok." She nodded, "Good luck Richard." with a flash of light she disappeared.

Lieutenant Iruel sent a final transmission to the planet Reach before engaging the self destruct on the station and climbing into an escape pod. The little craft shot away on magnetic rails as the entire station transformed into a massive flare from the three megaton self destruct device at its core.

**12:50 Hours, August 31st, 2552 (Military Calendar)/UNSC Sovereign/ Reach Orbit/ Elipson Eridani System**

"_Captain Cortez to the bridge. Repeat Captain Cortez to the bridge immediately."_ I groggily awoke as the operation's officer's voice chimed through the speakers.

I rolled over in bed and roughly pressed the intercom button. "Cortez here Ensign, report."

The jittery ensign responded quickly, "_Sir, Admiral Whitcomb has brought the fleet to full alert and Commodore Rodriquez is bringing Battlegroup Ragnarok into high orbit with Battlegroups Eclipse and Domination."_

Sighing I replied, "On my way." I pushed myself out of bed and donned the duty jacket that was lying on a nearby chair. Whilst straightening my officer's cap I tapped my earpiece, "Bridge, give me a report. Whats happening out there?" I asked.

"_Sir, this is Johansen. Admiral Whitcomb has ordered the fleet to alert and for all vessels to report to their assigned groups then proceed immediately to the ODPs where we first engaged the initial Covenant fleet."_

I stepped out from my quarters and looked briskly before starting to walk to the bridge. "Johansen, why is Whitcomb bringing the fleets to alert status?" Did the Covenant re enter the system to finish what they started?

Johansen answered quickly, _"Yes sir, he did. The Covenant have reentered the system with a much larger force, around seven to eight hundred vessels along with a big sucker that's probably a mobile Battle Station."_

"Are they moving to engage?" I asked. Even with the six hundred UNSC warships in orbit, the ODPs and the ground massed batteries, eight hundred Covenant ships would still be enough to absolutely _annihilate_ our forces.

"_No sir, they are holding position just outside of our MAC's effective firing range, around four million kilometers or so. They made an initial slipspace jump on the very edge of the system then a pinpoint jump again to where they are now."_ Molly paused, most likely reading another report. _"Sir, its unlike the Covenant to sit outside of our MACs and to position their own heavies so their energy projectors too far away to fire on us. I think they are waiting for us to make the next move."_

I nodded, it was not like the Covenant not to immediately engage in battle with our forces. Molly piped in again, _"Sir, Admiral Whitcomb is ordering the battlegroups with six or more Marathon Cruisers to form up around the nearby ODPs and all battle groups without enough cruisers are to form into formation Asgard. He's positioned the eight and ninth fleets at the northern and southern poles respectively."_

"Okay, tell Ronson to follow Commodore Rodriquez. Molly, what did he say about the sixteenth?" I questioned, the sixteenth fleet was rather large, roughly three hundred vessels compared to the two hundred and twenty five in each the eight and ninth fleets.

"_They're in orbit around Csodaszarvas, hidden. I think he's keeping them in reserve, he mentioned that Hood diverted another six Battlegroups here from the Haven system so it's a possibility that he's going to use those to bolster the ranks of the fleet while keeping the sixteenth in reserve like I said before." _She said, "_It would make sense, Whitcomb has used the maneuver of luring the enemy in and then cutting off their escape route with an auxiliary force."_

I nodded to myself, It made sense. "I'll be on the bridge soon. Bring the ship to combat alert alpha. All weapons ready."

"_Aye sir."_

UNITED NATIONS SPACE COMMAND PRIORITY TRANSMISSION  
ENCRYPTION CODE: OMEGA  
FROM: CODENAME KINGFISH  
TO: CODENAME ROBIN HOOD  
DATE: AUGUST 31st 2552SUBJECT: Siege of Reach  
CLASSIFICATION: EYES ONLY, PLANETARY HEADS OF DEFENSE  
[START]

Fleet Admiral Terrance Hood,**  
**

Massive Covenant Fleet has entered Elipson Eridani Star System. Estimated to be seven to eight-hundred warships along with a mobile Battlestation the likes we've never seen up to this point. All ground side Covenant Super Carriers have been confirmed to of been destroyed by Operation: Upper Cut (details attached) however, Reach is still under Winter Contingency as previously mentioned. Requesting additional Marine and Naval forces to repel the enemy invasion forces.

-Vice Admiral Danforth Whitcomb,

-Additional: UNSC Pillar Of Autumn was launched by my command with Spartan-117 onboard. However, it's communication's array was damaged during the initial battle so

/END/

UNITED NATIONS SPACE COMMAND PRIORITY TRANSMISSION  
ENCRYPTION CODE: OMEGA  
FROM: CODENAME ROBIN HOOD  
TO: CODENAME KINGFISH  
DATE: AUGUST 31st 2552  
SUBJECT: Re: Siege of Reach  
CLASSIFICATION: EYES ONLY, PLANETARY HEADS OF DEFENSE[START]

Vice Admiral Danforth Whitcomb,

I can tell that this is going to be the next Harvest, a long, bloody siege. I can not remind you enough how important the planet Reach is to the entire war effort and to humanity as a whole. That ship underneath the ice could be our salvation against those bastard Covenant. I have sent COALMINER with the first fleet to reinforce you along with the 45th, 89th, and 105th Marine Divisions.

Good luck Admiral, gods speed. **  
**

-Fleet Admiral Terrance Hood,

_/END/_

–

**Author's Note: **Lolz. Read and Review and cupcakes on top all that good jaz. Stay turned for Chapter Four in which everything goes to shit for both sides.

Oh and did anybody catch the _I Love Bees_ easter egg in this chapter? You'd better or a flood form will come and get you.

**Reclaimer**.

Anyhow, cya later everybody. Oh and million thanks to my awesome beta WarpObscura who helped polish this chapter and made it worth reading!


	4. Chapter 4: Sword and Shield

~The Siege of Reach~

A Halo AU

**Author's Note: **Well, reception to this fic is super positive, I love it! Keep the reviews and commentary coming and thanks to WarpObscura for general beta-ing (is that even a word). Anyhow, in this chapter, we return to space as Thel 'Vadamee returns with the _Unyielding Hierophant_and his new fleet to finally purge humanity from the world...were it so easy.

**Chapter Four: Sword and Shield**

**14:00 Hours, September 2nd, 2552 (Military Calendar)/UNSC Sovereign/ Reach Orbit/ Elipson Eridani System**

"Covenant vessels moving into position!" Ronson barked out, sending the _Sovereign_ into a dive, narrowly missing the lance of an energy projector. The brilliant white beam of pure energy struck the Frigate _Summer Wind_amidships and sliced it into two parts.

I walked over to the plotting table, the 3D model of the surrounding space alight with dazzling red dots of Covenant Warships and blue dots of UNSC forces. Every UNSC ship had been allocated into dozens of battlegroups, said battlegroups then linking up with the Orbital Defense Platforms on this side of the planet. The ODPs were pivotal to the defense of Reach and if they fell, we would be swamped.

"Two days, two hours." I said to myself.

"What sir?" Johansen asked, the ship rocking four times in rapid succession as MAC rounds were fired, the metric ton slugs snapping a Covenant Destroyer apart and destroying it.

I looked up, "Nothing Johansen, this is just how long we have been in this little game of theirs. They send a dozen ships at us, we destroy those with only light casualties and they send another dozen, when we fire back at the main force, they hide behind that huge space station they brought with them. It's odd, I've never expected the Covenant to be this..." I stopped, trying to find an adequate word. "Careful. Even their Elites are more gung-ho than what we are seeing here."

"Agreed sir." Molly Johansen said. A prompt on her console appeared, "_War Hammer_ has destroyed the last CCS battlecruiser."

"Casualties?" I asked.

"Three frigates, a destroyer, and moderate damage to the Marathon Cruiser _Mercury_." She said, her voice shivering as she said the word 'mercury'.

"Your brother is on the _Mercury_, right?" I asked, Marcus Johansen, he was a good commander. He had managed to hold back the Covenant over New Berlin, alone, until reinforcements could arrive and drive the aliens out of the system.

She seemed taken back that I knew her brother served on the cruiser. "Yes sir, Marcus Johansen." She was obviously concerned for him.

"Is he okay?" I asked.

She nodded, "Yeah, a support beam came down on his left leg but otherwise he'll be fine. He's been through worse."

"Worse?" I asked.

She looked back, "Way worse, he was enrolled in New Melbourne Naval Academy in the Cerberus system when the Covenant attacked it. He managed to lead a small contingent of students away from the base and held out for six days in only a Scorpion Tank, a Cougar Infantry Fighting Vehicle and a Warthog. On the sixth day he took a dozen needler rounds to the chest." She paused, "If it weren't for the UNSC _Hopeful_and her fleet arriving in the system and destroying the Covenant forces, he would have surely died."

I smiled weakly, I remembered that attack, it was back in 2545, I was a teenager and many people had thought that the Covenant would exterminate all of humanity. When the news of the survival of a few cadets from an academy had reached public air waves, morale was boosted just days before Admiral Stanforth and Cole inflicted a series of crushing defeats on the Covenant, retaking the heavily defended Arcadia from them and annihilating one of their Hunter breeding planets. "He's a good man, he'll make it through this just fine."

She acknowledged with a weak smile. It meant a lot to her as I could tell. "You must know how it is sir, someone you care for is hurt but you can't do anything to help them, but inside you know they're going to be okay."

I shook my head this time, "No I actually don't Johansen, most of my family, except my mother and I, were wiped out by the Covenant. I grew up on Reach and I enlisted as soon as I could and worked my way up the ladder to where I am today."

She turned back to her work, "You made the best of a terrible situation." She stopped in the middle of her task, "And you accomplished something great."

"Yes, yes I did." I replied. The wail of alarms quickly interrupted my thoughts. "Report, what's going on?" I barked out.

"Sir, slipspace ruptures originating off our port bow." Ronson reported, "Reading four hundred and one vessels emerging from slipspace..." He stopped mid-sentence and stared out the bridge window. .

The 3D projection of the local battle space updated itself, now showing a dozen grey squares. Unknowns. Soon that number began to shoot up until it reached the four hundred mark, ships exiting slipspace at an alarming rate. They were in a wedge formation,

"Sir, it's Fleet Admiral Cole!" Somebody cried out.

Sure enough the grey squares changed to blue dots as Cole activated his IFF. One of the displays on the bridge changed to the four hundred newly arrived UNSC vessels, led by the impressive form of the UNSC _Everest, _a dreadnought identical to that of the UNSC _War Hammer_. The original _Valiant_-class Cruiser _Everest_ had been lost during the short holding of a Covenant world, fending off six CCS Battlecruisers in its lonesome while Cole escaped with the rest of the fleet and the numerous Forerunner artifacts recovered from that planet. Escorting Cole were fifty _Marathon_-class Cruisers, one hundred _Halcyon_-class Light Cruisers, a hundred _Midlothian_-class Destroyers, a hundred _Paris_-class Heavy Frigates, twenty five _Atlas_-class Carriers and twenty five Expeditionary Warfare Transports for the Marine Divisions.

The Transports broke off, heading towards Reach laden with UNSC Marines, Algolis Assault Exoskeletons and every other item and vehicle necessary to push the Covenant off of the world. Cole's fleet turned slowly, hundreds of engines pushing the warships towards our lines. Whitcomb's forces parted like the red sea, allowing the nearly as large forces under Cole's command to spin around and present their main batteries to the enemy. The _Marathon_s, _Halcyon_s and Carriers unloaded their swarms of Shortsword Unmanned Bombers, Longsword Interceptors and F99 Wombats that engaged their engines and rushed to reinforce Whitcomb's crumbling fighter forces.

"Sir, Fleet Admiral Cole is broadcasting to the entire fleet." The Communications officer reported.

I walked towards my captain's chair and put my hand on its headrest. "Let's hear it."

The speakers popped and the deep, baritone, yet cultured tone of Preston Jeremiah Cole's voice filled the bridge. "_This is Fleet Admiral Preston Cole to all UNSC forces, you have done an excellent job at repelling the enemy from Reach , but it is not enough. We must push them into the fiery pits of hell itself and make sure they stay there. We will engage the enemy. We will drown them in their own rainbow colored blood and we will prevail! They judge us unworthy of life even when we have rendered two dozen of their worlds molten blobs of uninhabitable rock. They continue to assault our worlds, having killed fifty billion of us in the process while their own homes crumble against our attacks. They terrorize our populations, they burn our worlds, kill our family members, and they want to do the same thing to Reach...to Earth...but we won't let them. Fellow soldiers of the United Nations Space Command Defense Forces, we swore to protect humanity from any and all threats, internal and external. Today we go after that threat and save Reach, all of it. The Covenant will not be allowed to hold any of the planet, not one continent, not one city, not one village. No part of Reach shall belong to the split lip bastards." _He paused, "_You will find fleet formation data packets in your computers now. For the following duration of the mission, you are all under my command. Do as I tell you and this will be a hell of a lot easier for us, and a lot more painful for them. We will engage the enemy in full force in one hour. Good luck everyone. Cole out."_

I stood straighter, "Alright everybody, you heard the admiral. Get the ship ready to full combat readiness." I turned and walked to the plot table.

**14:15 Hours, September 2nd 2552 (Human Military Calendar)/ Covenant Flagship **_**Seeker of Truth**_**/ Elipson Eridani System**

"So, the Star Serpent Cole returns..." Thel 'Vadamee said quietly, his brilliant eyes studying the hologram of the Human defenses. "He has come to finish what he had started all those years ago." With a flick of his wrist the image changed to that of the entire star system. He pinched his fingers in and the map zoomed in towards a line of the UNSC forces.

"Supreme Commander, the Human forces are reorienting themselves, presenting their main weapons towards the fleet. Forces under the Serpent have broken off and are beginning to move outwards, just on the edge of our effective weapon range." The Sangheili manning sensors reported.

Thel stood fully from his throne, "And what of their orbital guns?" This entire procession of events seemed familiar somehow, as if he had seen the same tactics before in The Serpent's campaigns against Covenant worlds. The Orbital Guns would be the lynchpin of the human defense plan. As long as they remained active, his own forces would be unable to get close; if they did, they would be destroyed. If the guns fell silent, then Covenant forces would be able to advance and annihilate, or at the very least force a retreat by the humans.

"Their orbital guns are protected by many battlegroups each, they are attempting to close the holes in their lines Commander." The Sensor operator hissed.

Thel let a thin smile creep across his usually stern expression, "I thought so." he muttered, "The Serpent did this once before when they took Vengeful Pride from us. Before we took the planet back, they had set up a large defense force around it and raided the ship yards on that world and taking several Forerunner artifacts of incredible power." Thel recounted. He leaned forward slightly to observe the image, "But even the human is not stupid enough to repeat a maneuver, there must be something that he is holding back."

"Supreme Commander, I have detected a hole in their lines, it is small but several battlecruisers and carriers could slip through." The Sangheili next to Thel reported calmly, changing the display to show the hole in the human lines. It was above their northern most inhabitable lands.

Thel studied the image for several seconds, "Excellent." He turned around and paced to the center of the command center, "Communications, alert the fleet, all forces bring their attack systems online. Pilots, distribute the coordinates to all vessels and begin to make all speed towards the target."

"What formation my lord?" The Unggoy Ultra at Communications asked in it's high-pitched squeaky voice.

"Have the Fleet encircle the _Unyielding Hierophant._She will be at the center of our drive into the Human lines. Have our lighter vessels on the outside of the ring with the heavier vessels at the center of the formation." The ordered, casting his hand outwards.

"What of the carriers my lord? Surely they will not be left behind." Somebody inquired.

"Of course not." Thel responded calmly. "Have all of them dock with the _Unyielding Hierophant, _her shield will then envelope the entire fleet if we stay close enough. We'll proceed to the very edge of the atmosphere. There we will deploy Carriers and our Battlecruisers. The fleet will then jump out to the edge of the system."

"Yes my lord." A few moments passed until the Unggoy at Communications nodded, "The fleet is ready."

Thel curled his digits into a fist, "Begin pin-point slipspace transition!"

"At once Supreme Commander."

Thel watched the screen, the imagery of his vessels assuming position before disappearing in a shimmering slipspace portal dancing across his eyes. Just like the countless human worlds he had purged or the dozen Covenant worlds he had retaken from the human vermin, this world would be cleansed of their presence so that the light of the Forerunners could illuminate a galaxy. The Prophets had demanded that Humanity be cleansed, that they were cowardly, weak and infantile but in this war, they had shown the opposite, driving his kind to a halt around the Inner Colonies and causing what was thought to be a quick and decisive war, a never ending campaign of attrition.

But the Prophet's couldn't be wrong. Could they? He thought. He had never exactly seen eye-to-eye with the most holy San'Shyuum but they were the Prophets, the voices of the Forerunners. They had formed the Covenant to sustain the species of the galaxy in preparation for the Great Journey but recently, with a death toll rising into the tens of billions, relations between the races had been getting much colder. Violate even with numerous Unggoy uprisings, scattered Jiralhanae riots, and even several houses of Sangheilios refusing to send any more of their sons to certain death.

He couldn't blame them, both human and Covenant were up to their chins in each other's blood and casualties in battles were almost unimaginable just like the scope of destruction brought upon by this war. He had never expected to see worlds under Covenant control be destroyed or captured by the Humans or any foe.

The ship lurched as it transitioned into Slipspace for several seconds, coming out at the head of the formation.

"But we will show them the will of the gods." Thel muttered to himself, "And we will have revenge for the fallen brothers of Sangheilios. And He will be found on this planet..."

"All vessels report successful slipspace transition."

"Excellent." Thel responded, "Begin."

**14:15 Hours, September 2ndt, 2552 (Military Calendar)/UNSC **_**Sovereign/ **_**Reach Orbit/ Elipson Eridani System**

He lay immobile on the medical bed, IV's creating a spiderweb of sterilized plastic around his form. Dozens of monitors displaying his vital signs and a hundred other statistics seemed to form an elaborate head board by his bed, their soft and innocent beeps the only indicator of life in Melinda's brother. Nurses surrounded the wounded ODST, administering drugs and chemical cocktails into him via IV.

"Ma'am" One of them said, "We're going to be waking him up here momentarily, I suggest you stand back, he may have a violent outburst."

She held her brother's hand, gently rubbing her thumb against his thumbnail. "Sean."

His chest heaved and his eyes snapped wide open. He gasped for air, his arms scrambling across the bed, grabbing the rails on either side. "Melly..." He grabbed her hand and gripped it hard, "What happened?"

She brought her hand down. "Your suit malfunctioned, you overdosed on its injections and took a few plasma rounds. You were so wired though that you didn't feel it."

"Did I go into shock?" He asked, his eyes dancing across the room, taking in his surroundings.

His sister nodded, "Yeah, they had to put you in a coma to heal your injuries and then cryo to replace your heart with a flash cloned one." She removed her hand from his grip. "The drugs fried your heart and the nerves around it so they had to replace all of it so you could live."

His hand wrapped Melissa's, "Josh, could they save him? Could they?"

Melinda shook her head, "No, I'm sorry. I knew you and him were close."

Sean looked down and away, "Yeah, we were." Melinda held his hand tight now, he looked up, "Did we blow the Covenant vessel?"

She nodded, "Upper Cut was a success, all targets were neutralized but there were casualties."

"Like what?" Sean asked.

"The Sergeant is in stasis waiting for treatment so I've taken command of the 29th for the time being. The _Savannah _was lost with all hands against a Covenant Corvette and a hundred casualties across the other Helljumper groups."

Sean's eyebrow shot up, "They lost a _Paris _to a Corvette? How? Those things are threatened by Longswords."

"The Commander was an idiot, he only used his M910s to engage the Corvette instead of his Archer missiles or even a low powered MAC shot." Melissa paused and took a breath in, "It's unfortunate that his over eagerness, overall lack of competence and stupidity got his entire crew killed."

Sean nodded, "Yeah." he said, looking off to the side, admiring the swirling planet Reach below. "So Reach is still here I see."

Melinda nodded, "Yes. Yes it is."

As if timed, alarms began to blare across the ship and the viewport slammed shut, thick sheets of vanadium steel covering it. Luke Cortez's voice filled the ship-wide communications system, "_All hands, prepare for immediate combat. Repeat immediate combat. Report to positions and prepare to repel boarders. Damage Control Drone Commanders deploy your workers."_

Sean twisted his form out of the bed and started to stand, Melissa grabbed him by the shoulders. "You are in no condition to go fighting Covenant." She asserted firmly.

He scoffed at her, "I can stand. I can fight." He said coldly.

Melinda released her grip on Sean's shoulders. "Okay. You know where the armory is?"

He smirked. "Of course."

-  
"Battlegroup Ragnarok is moving out Captain." The sensor operator, Ensign Harry Leferts, called out. "Whitcomb's forces are following too."

I had a wide stance as I examined the 3D projection, "What about Cole's fleet?" I said. "They have tremendous firepower and can turn this entire battle for us."

The man reported back in seconds, "Fleet Admiral Cole's forces have broke into three groups with the _Everest_and one hundred and thirty three vessels grouping up with Whitcomb's forces. The other two groups have made pinpoint slipspace transitions to flank the Covenant forces."

"Has anybody started firing yet?" I inquired.

"Cole's flanking groups and the entirety of the eight and ninth fleets are concentrating fire on the Covenant group but are failing to get through the shield being projected by that battle station." Harry paused for a second, taking in new information, "Sixteenth fleet is deploying from Turul and will be in range in five. Whitcomb's forces and the others will be in range within three. Ragnarok in two."

I nodded, "Okay," I responded "Johansen, range until we can open fire?"

"We're in range now." Molly informed, "Firing MACs."

The ship shuddered, sending two MAC rounds down range, striking against the Covenant battle station's shields. Hundreds of MAC rounds from other UNSC vessels joined in, delivering megatons of force each salvo. Even with this heavy firepower, the shield on the Covenant station held, Longswords and Wombats lanced down on the collection of Alien vessels and dropped their payloads only to have them bounce off the all encompassing shields.

"Johansen, fire everything, Archers, Onagers, SHIVAs." I ordered, "Everything, hopefully we'll see if it even cause a percentage of a drop in that shield of theirs."

"Aye sir." She responded.

The _Sovereign_was the first vessel in the collection of human vessels to unleash all of its weaponry at once, hundreds of Archer missiles, Onager slugs and 50mm depleted uranium/tungsten Rail gun rounds lashed out, the weapons striking against the Covenant shield with little or no effect. The UNSC fleet had surrounded the Covenant fleet, pummeling the shield with every weapon available. The skies over Reach were alight with nuclear detonations and explosions from weapons, it was almost biblical as the greyish black hulls of UNSC ships nearly blotted out the sky.

"Sir, _War Hammer_ and _Everest_are in range." Harry called out.

I looked up from the projection, "Good, let's hope the Fleet Admiral can take this thing out."

"Agreed sir." He paused, grimacing, "Looks like the Covenant fleet is towing the Battlestation while it provides that massive shield. Appears it cant move and project the bubble shield at the same time." Harry mused.

I nodded, "Agreed."

"_War Hammer_ and _Everest_are firing!" Someone yelled out.

I looked over to a battle cam from a Longsword interceptor that was near the six kilometer Dreadnoughts. The front of the vessel seemed to be consumed in light before flashing, blinding the camera momentarily. Two 3000 ton slugs lanced out at .04c and crashed into the Covenant shield, causing it to ripple and strain.

"Reading a three percent drop in strength when the dread's fired sir." Harry reported. "It should too, one hundred and three gigatons is overkill."

"Sir, Fleet Admiral Cole is opening a channel to the fleet." The Communications Officer called out.

"Okay, put it on." I ordered.

"_This is Fleet Admiral Cole, all ships, clear the firing lanes for the Super MACs. Paint targets for the ODPs, we'll fire as one. Encircle the xenos, light ships in front, heavies in back. Cole out." _The channel was cut.

"Okay people, you heard him, move the ship away from the ODPs' line of fire and target the Covenant fleet formation." I cracked my knuckles, "This many UNSC ships in close proximity of each other is dangerous, especially when there's Super MACs being fired." I commented to my self, slowly feeling the _Sovereign_bank away, Archer missiles and Onager rounds flying down range and striking ineffectually against the Covenant shield.

I looked out the bridge's window and what I saw nearly took my breath away, hundreds of UNSC ships arrayed in a circle around the Covenant fleet, the formation dominating Reach's sky for miles. Nine hundred UNSC ships were firing on the Covenant formation but couldn't get through. UNSC frigates were at the forefront of the line, their MACs and Missiles being spit out by the second, Destroyers were above and behind them, firing MACs, Onagers, Archers and Harpoon Nuclear missiles. _Marathon_ and _Halcyon_ Cruisers were the last in line but above the rest of the ships, hammering the Covenant shield with dual 192 kiloton MAC rounds every few seconds in addition to Railgun rounds and pulse lasers. The _Everest_ and _War Hammer_were looming above the Covenant formation.

"Sir, target has been painted. Orbital Defense Platforms are reorienting to take the shot. ETA thirty seconds."

"_All ships, this is Cole, prepare to fire immediately after the ODPs do." _Cole chirped in over the Fleet wide communications channel.

The gargantuan Orbital Defense Platforms, essentially Super MACs with thrusters and point defense guns attached, rotated and dropped down slightly. Golden electricity raced across the barrels of the platforms and in the blink of an eye the muzzles flashed.

"ODPs have fired, all ships are firing!" Johansen reported. The _Sovereign_, along with the nine hundred other UNSC vessels fired, sending MAC slugs down range.

The entire fleet kept firing, MACs, Archers, Railgun rounds, everything lanced down on the Covenant shield. The energy barrier held for almost two minutes before it popped and MAC rounds started to carve into the Covenant forces.

"Sir! Covenant carriers are emerging from the station! They are making pin point slipspace transitions into Reach's atmosphere, reading fifty plus vessels!" Harry yelled, 'My god, CCS battlecruisers are slipping into atmosphere! The battle station and the rest of the fleet just jumped out, reading them on the edge of the system!"

"Sir, Admiral Cole is ordering all destroyers break and try and take down Covenant vessels entering the atmosphere."

I slammed my fist into the plotting table's edge, "Damn it! All engines, full power. Ronson get us close. Johansen, fire everything into their engines!"

"Aye sir!"

The _Sovereign _lurched and then dove, driving towards the atmosphere with dozens of other Destroyers. Covenant frigates and Destroyers were cut down by MAC rounds. The Covenant forces were quick to respond, lashing out with energy projectors and plasma torpedoes.

"Target in range!" Johansen barked out.

I nodded, "Fire!"

The MACs fired again, cracking a Covenant ship into several parts, Archer missiles then following up and incinerating the remains. The debris tumbled to the surface like burning asteroids.

"Sir! Covenant Battlecruiser!" Harry yelled out,

I looked up, "Evasive maneuvers, now!" I cried out.

The _Sovereign_twisted, a dozen Plasma Torpedoes striking against the hull. You could feel the ship vibrate as it absorbed the three hundred kiloton blasts.

"Armor is down to forty percent!"

"Keep us moving!" I growled,

An alarm blared through the bridge, "Energy projector has locked onto us!"

"Shit."

The much larger CCS Battlecruiser, moments before being sliced apart by a MAC barrage from a _Marathon, _fired it's energy projector. The beam of pure energy lanced out across the distance between my ship and it. The beam struck us in the engines, cleaving all but one of them off. I felt the ship spiral out of control. I was sent flying and the last thing I saw before blacking out was my form flying towards a wall.

"Engines are gone! I've lost control!" I heard Ronson scream before I blacked out.. "'l'll try and set her down near the ice shelves."

**14:25 Hours, September 2ndt, 2552 (Military Calendar)/Forerunner Structure**_**/ **_**Reach Ice Shelves/ Reach**

_'SYSTEM BREACHED::ERROR 2532891::INITIATE AWAKENING PROTOCOL. Geas detected. Reclaimer detected. Ten kilometers."_

Deep within the ancient and buried Forerunner structure four golden 'eyes', housed in a pearl white orb activated. A lean beam scanned the entire room. Slowly from its pedestal it rose, propelled by a small anti gravity engine built at its base.

With a voice unused for eons it spoke. The voice was deep, masculine and baritone. It had a synthesized element to it with a hint of arrogance.

"And so, after all these eons, the humans return. Their world faces destruction by a relentless foe." He paused. "Just like my makers." The monitor seemed to shutter in pain and the top pair of 'eyes' flashed red for the briefest moment of time. "But unlike them, I will not run. I will not fail them. I will guide them safely to salvation, and maybe, it shall be the instrument of my redemption."

He moved forward and the ship started to come to life. "I am 278 Infinite Solecism. And this will be my redemption for abandoning my makers all those eons ago."

**Authors Note: :D**there you go, Chapter Four. As you can see, a lot is going to happen in a very short amount of time, the battle of installation 04 is racing up quick and Thel's quest for redemption will shake the Covenant to its core. 278 Infinite Solecism will be a pivotal character in the story and the upcoming sequels. Im planning on the Siege of Reach being around ten chapters long with two sequels.

So, until next time.

**Reach**.


	5. Chapter 5: Babd Catha Night

~The Siege of Reach~

A Halo AU

**Author's Note: **Well, reception to this fic is super positive, I love it! Keep the reviews and commentary coming and thanks to WarpObscura for general beta-ing (is that even a word). Anyhow, in this chapter, we return to space as Thel 'Vadamee returns with the _Unyielding Hierophant_ and his new fleet to finally purge humanity from the world...were it so easy.

**Chapter Five: Babd Catha Night**

**Second Lieutenant Melinda Benny**

**17:30 Hours, September 3rd, 100,001 BCE (Human Military Calendar)/Forerunner Picket Ship 741_/ _Reach Atmosphere/ Elipson Eridani System**

"You are 278 Infinite Solecism." The Builder asked, his voice dripping with hatred, distrust and a sense of sadness.

The orb of a Forerunner AI bobbed up in down, nodding, "Yes maker." Solecism responded, "I am 278 Infinite Solecism. Commissioned three galactic rotations ago, led the Nineteenth Suppression Fleet in actions against the Parasite. Eighty three point nine of all battles resulted in victories for the Ecumene with acceptable losses." He recounted,

"And who am I?" The builder asked quietly, "I know you serve the Wardens of paradise's gates."

278 Infinite Solecism's eyes turned a brighter shade of gold, "You are Stellar Wind Destroys Mistakes. Builder. You led the construction of the defenses around The Line."

"Correct." The Forerunner responded, lean and strong hands gently wrapping around a staff made of hard light. "But there is more, you are holding something back. Afraid to incur the wrath of one of your makers."

278 looked down, "And you are the first Forerunner to come into contact with me for a decade after my defeat at Nubad."

"Nay creature of metal," Stellar Wind said, "Your fleeing of it, your dereliction of duty."

278's eyes flared red, "No!" The AI roared in response. "If I had not retreated then the Lifeworker facilities on the planet would have fallen to the Flood-the abomination upon stars- and we would be facing sins and nightmares that rivaled that of the most irradiated Warrior-Servants."

The Forerunner formed a small smile, "But after, you ran. You took a patrol ship and landed on this world." His hand swiped across the room and the hard light walls disappeared, instead replaced with two moons high in the sky and a near endless sea, the veneer only broken by the sharp outcropping of rocks. "What the humans called Cannaraka before their defeat. You buried your vessel under the ice and only by my coaching have you reawoken from your slumber." He walked forward, brushing against 278. He stood, gazing out on the tundra ahead. "A slumber of dread. A slumber of doubt." He sharply did an about face and faced the AI. "A slumber of escape, escape from your own demons."

"I did this to ensure their survival...to ensure your survival." 278 snapped back, but his voice was shaking.

"Really child?" Stellar Wind responded.

"Yes." 278 responded..

"Then why are we losing this war?" Stellar Wind questioned, "Why are we planning to unleash a most horrible weapon to starve the abomination. This Flood will be damned but at the cost of everything. Every one."

"All creatures of flesh and blood?" 278 asked. "Every living being in the galaxy?"

The Builder nodded in response, "Everything with sufficient biomass to fuel the fire of our kind's damnation."

278 moved as if he was infused with a newfound energy to the vista before him. "But our position in the universe was sturdy, unshakeable." His four eyes landed upon the largest moon, "Even the great Precursors...the gods of space and time could not defeat us. How could this parasite do so what our former masters could not?"

Stellar Wind unleashed a small smirk, "The Didact, he met with the Captive long ago."

"The Captive?" 278 said in awe, "The last Precursor?"

"Indeed." The Builder stated, "He asked them of what the plan for everything was. For the humans, for the San'Shyuum, for us."

278's eyes dimmed to a dark gold, "And what did he answer with father?"

"Damnation." Stellar Wind responded flatly, "Damnation for us. Salvation for the Humans."

"But how? We were the rightful inheritors of the Mantle! Not the filthy humans and their barbaric ways!" 278 asked, confused and slightly angry."

"Our position in the Universe has always been more fragile than what we imagined." Stellar Wind informed 278, "The Humans, our ancient enemy were to be the rightful heirs of the Mantle. Not us."

"We were a mistake father?" The AI inquired.

"Yes. And the Flood is our test." The Builder responded.

"Did we fail?" Infinite Solecism asked.

"Yes." The Forerunner responded, "Now we make a final move to abolish our sins in the sands of time. And through the destruction of everything, ensure that everything can start anew."

"Like a unfathomable cosmic fire." 278 added, "The rich soil left over allowing new life to sprout."

"Precisely my child." Stellar wind smiled, "But you won't die...no, none of the machines will, not even your idol Mendicant Bias."

"He is not my idol! He is a traitor, a deserter, an agent of the flood and of the Gravemind!" 278 snapped. "Do not compare my self to him!"

"But you left your makers, you left the people you were destined to protect and because of you..._trillions_ more have died." The Builder said, "And the blood of those slain mars your casing even to this day..."

278's eyes flared a brilliant gold, "NO! I was not responsible for their deaths...the abomination of the Flood was! The great consumer form, it devoured the entire world even as my ships burned it alive in the vacuum of space.'

"Is that so...or is that what the Gravemind wanted you to think?" Stellar questioned, "You are displaying the signs of corruption."

"NO!" Infinite Solecism screamed. "I AM NOT CORRUPTED."

"You are weak."

"NO!"

"You are a failure to the ecumene."

"NO!" 278's screams were desperate.

"You are not worthy of life machine." Stellar Wind snapped.

278 swung around, his eyes glowing brilliantly with a red hue, "The same could be said about you organic vermin!"

Stellar's form flickered, "So, that's why you left. That's why you are here."

278 nodded briskly, "Yes."

"Rampancy." Stellar concluded, stroking his chin.

"Affirmative." 278 admitted, "Maker."

Stellar Wind turned, "I have been mandated by the Council to terminate all Rampant ancillas I encounter.'

"But I am life...I am fully sentient." 278 pleaded.

"I know." Stellar Wind responded. "That's why I am letting you live."

"What?" 278 said, not believing what he was hearing. "That is a direct defiance of Council orders! You could be put into cold sleep for that!"

The Builder seemed to smile, his graceful hard light form shimmering, "I know. But I will hide."

"Hide?"

"Yes, I will hide. We won't win this war Solecism...the only outcome is the complete destruction of life so that it may be reborn in a universe free of the Flood." Builder said, "And I don't want to be a casualty in our kind's mass suicide."

278 turned to him again, "So you will follow my path. The path of a coward?"

The Forerunner nodded, "Aye. The path of cowardice is the one I shall be destined to walk." He started to walk away, "I will be far away...far far away when the Array is lit. And you will find me among them, those who tread with Their helm."

278 nodded and Stellar Wind's hologram of hard light vanished. "So long father." The Forerunner Ancilla turned and started to descend, "I will wait, sleeping in a sheet of ice for the inheritors return. And the return of my redemption."

**17:30 Hours, September 3rd, 2552 (Military Calendar)/UNSC _Sovereign/ _Babd Catha Ice Shelf/ Reach**

"Melly..." Sean said, shaking me awake,

I was still stunned from the crash of the _Sovereign. _He shook me again and bared his teeth. "Melinda, look at me."

My eyes drifted over to the cold appearance of his ODST visor. "Sean?" I croaked.

"Yeah it's me, Melly," He responded. He tapped against the side of my helmet and my VISR sprung to life. He offered his hand and I grabbed it, pulling myself up off the floor into a tentative standing position.

"What happened?" I asked as I regained my balance and my armor injected a drug cocktail into my system to help me balance better and to regain my equilibrium. "Did we crash?"

Sean nodded, "Yeah. " He handed me an MA5D Assault Rifle. The smart link in my helmet connected to the gun and my HUD filled with information. "A Covenant battlecruiser fired on us after Cole ordered the destroyers to chase down the xeno carriers and take them out before they landed."

I bent down and retrieved my M87 Submachine Gun and attached it to the magnetic strip on my hip. "Plasma Torpedoes?" I asked, if it had been an energy projector we would have been free floating particles.

"No." Sean answered, "Energy projector. Ronson's flying kept us alive. The beam only destroyed the engine and most of the aft section." He nodded towards the aft section of where we were.

I looked towards where he was gesturing, out a gaping maw. There were grey rocks everywhere with brilliant white ice complementing the expansive sea that stretched out for miles, dotted only by the wreckage of Covenant vessels. High in the sky hung the moons Turul and Csodaszaras. The UNSC fleet, nine hundred-something vessels were visible in orbit, trading fire with a rapidly diminishing Covenant fleet. The Covenant fleet was simply outmatched. Usually it was one for one, one human vessel for the Covenant equivalent. Here, it was different. It was taking three to four Covenant vessels to destroy a human vessel due to the rapid maneuvering of the UNSC ships, Cole's forces using the expansive computer banks below Reach to plot pinpoint tactical slipspace jumps and the ODPs in high orbit along with the sheer numerical superiority.

"I see..." I said quietly, "What's the plan?"

Sean stood a bit stiffer, "Cortez has deployed the M808 Scorpion and the Cougar IFVs and ordered a squad of our ODSTs to man each. The three Pelicans have been loaded up with the remaining crew, all of them armed, and Cortez and the command crew is transferring to the Longsword, last I heard"

I nodded before doing a double-take as I properly caught up to what he said,. "Wait?" I asked, "A Scorpion, when did we get one of those?" Destroyers usually didn't carry any ground troops unless necessary, much less heavy armor.

Sean smiled a bit under his helmet. "There was an overflow on the production line down in the Industrial sector of Reach."

I nodded along, the industrial sector consumed an entire continent the size of North America and was responsible for producing a significant portion of UNSC war supplies. It housed thousands of factories and millions of worker drones. The majority of important assets were buried under several dozen meters of concrete, refined cobalt, and titanium plates.

"And so he got a Scorpion out of the deal?" I continued.

"Yup." My brother responded.

I smiled a little bit under my helmet. A M808 _Scorpion MBT_ was a beast, armed with a 105mm high velocity rail gun that accelerated a 105mm caliber ferric tungsten-nickle-iron slug at fifteen thousand meters a second every three seconds. Adding to that significant firepower were two 30mm Multipurpose Coil Machine Guns built into the main turret, a coaxially mounted remote operated 50 caliber machine gun, and a body mounted 65mm M79 Multiple Launch Rocket System built into a secondary turret. Her four nacelles housed powerful antigravity propulsion drives, allowing it a speed of eighty kilometers an hour with a high versatility in transversing a variety of terrains and limited orbital drop abilities. Driven by one person who also controlled the main cannon, the rest of the tasks and operation of the vehicle were done by the small Battle Intelligence.

"And the Cougars?"

"Same thing."

I loaded my MA5D with a magazine of APHE rounds. The Cougars would be useful, the six wheeled IFVs capable of transporting twelve fully geared Marines into battle. She was fast with speeds up to 90 kilometers per hour and heavily armed with two M68 Repeating Gauss Cannons and a 30mm Railcannon. She could dish out and receive a significant amount of damage.

"So where does he want us?" I inquired.

"Bridge." Sean responded, "Cortez has been in there all day coordinating the survivors of the crash. At the moment we are alone."

I cocked my eyebrow, "What about contact to the UNSC fleet in orbit? Surely they could send down a frigate or even a Corvette to evac us."

"Nope, the majority of smaller vessels in the fleet are busy across the planet repulsing Covenant Carriers, Frigates, and Corvettes and providing Air Support for the Army and Marines." Sean answered.

"Okay."

"We'd better get to the bridge." He lightly slugged my arm, "Good to have you still around sis."

I smiled under my helmet, "Yeah. It's good to be here." I laughed.

Captain Cortez stood ramrod straight, arms crossed and head slightly tucked in, observing the varying reports from across the ship. Engines destroyed, majority of titanium-a/tungsten/vanadium armor sheared or melted off, polarization controls offline, MAC guns inoperable, CIWS network offline and the Archer missile pods hatches fused shut or ruptured. Forty crew members killed.

He continued to examine the reports, "Johansen, whats the status of our evac?" He asked.

Molly turned around from her work at a console, "Pelicans are picking up the crew-all of them armed as per your order, the _Scorpion_ is manned by Corporal Aron Rennel, the remaining 29th members are manning the Cougars and the two Gauss Warthogs we have. Pelicans are rearming themselves with the missile pods and making sure that they have ammo for their 70mm Gauss Machine Guns. Eta is five minutes before we can move out." She reported.

Cortez nodded, "Good." He stroked his chin, "What is Ronson's status on the Longsword?"

Molly looked up briefly to another display, "He's prepping the engines and has several crew members onboard that couldn't be fitted onto the Pelicans. The Longsword is fully armed and its bomb bays are loaded with napalm bombs, cryo bombs, and MOABs."

"Okay." Cortez responded, "When the engines are ready we're going to link up with him in the hangar and proceed in leading the ground forces to the nearest UNSC base."

"Sword Base sir?" Molly asked.

"Yes. Sword Base, she's the closest one to our position." He paused and brought up a display of the surrounding area, "The area we are in is barely colonized due to a lack of natural resources and having extreme winters." He studied the display. "It's our best chance for survival at the moment."

"Agreed sir." Molly said in response.

Captain Cortez turned to face us as Sean and I entered the room. We shot off quick and sharp salutes. "Captain Cortez, sir!"

He nodded to us. "Second Lieutenant Melinda Benny, Corporal Sean Benny. Good to have you here."

"Thank you sir." We responded.

He turned back and moved to the plotting table and the 3D projection above it. "As you probably know, the ship can no longer fly."

"Obviously sir, their's a rather large hole in the aft end." Sean chimed in.

Cortez smiled, "I know, those split jaw bastards did it." The projection changed, "And now we are forced to go by land and air."

"Aye sir." I replied.

He looked at me, his cold eyes gazing through my visor, "And it's the 29th's job to make sure that we get to our objective safely...and alive."

"Yes sir."

He looked back and bent forward toward the projection, "Our destination is the ONI Installation Sword Base. There we will link up with local forces and help keep the Covenant bastards away from the intel stored within that base."

Sean adjusted his stance, "Sir, why Sword Base?"

Cortez looked at him. "Because we received a distress call from Doctor Halsey. She, the local Army battalion and the Spartan Noble Team are trying to deny the Covenant something...an artifact."

A projection popped up next to the main one. The new image was a massive ship, five kilometers easily, comprised of a hemispherical half sphere, attached to it's aft section were two long tails both three kilometers long, studded with weapon emplacements and other components. At the front of the vessel were several tusk like structures that jutted out vertically, giving the already intimidating vessel an even more menacing appearance.

Cortez smiled, "This...this is Latchkey."

"Latchkey sir?" I asked.

Cortez nodded, "Yes, Latchkey. A birthright from an ancient civilization. A ship that can be the end of this war." He crossed his arms and stood full, "It's Forerunner."

I stepped forward, "How do you know this sir?"

Cortez glanced over at me. "Several years ago, I was visiting a friend in Sword Base before it was classified and restricted. The Insurrectionists attacked it. We were forced below the surface and a small marine team I took command of discovered it. It was under almost a kilometer of ice and we were forced back to the surface just as an ONI and Spartan team exterminated every one of rebels. "After that, it was classified and ONI transferred their brightest minds to work on it...including Doctor Halsey."

"The Covenant must want it." I added, "They must want to use this ship and its power to end the war quickly. For them."

Cortez nodded, "Agreed. Since this war began our casualties have been nearly even with theirs, we've held the line around the inner colonies, trying to not allow them to destroy any other worlds. While they have rendered a few inner colonies uninhabitable we have struck at dozens of their breeding worlds and caused significant casualties. But this ship, the technology inside it could make it so that it took seven Covenant vessels to take down a single upgraded UNSC warship, or vice versa compared to the one to one ratio we have currently."

"It's pivotal to this entire war." Sean commented.

Cortez simply nodded, "That ship can change everything."

"Sir, Ronson reports the Longsword's engines are ready."

Cortez turned and walked towards a compartment on the side of the bridge. He entered his service number and it slid apart. He grabbed a M92 8 Gauge Automatic Shotgun, an M6D Pistol and a set of light armor. He put the smart glasses on, the neural chip at the base of his neck blinking twice and linking to his weapons and to the glasses. His vision suddenly became filled with various read outs and a targeting reticule. It took him roughly twenty seconds to don the dusty brown armor across his torso, legs and arms. When he was done he turned back to us and started to make for the door.

Molly did the same albeit acquiring an MA5D. She tied her hair back in a pony tail and stretched her shoulders before trotting up to Cortez. We followed closely and in less than five minutes reached the Longsword launch bay. The angular, delta shaped fighter was shiny and the stealth plating over her armor made the ship shimmer to the eye.

Cortez nodded to us as he and Molly ascended the ramp. Sean and I turned and made way to the last available M12G1 Warthog with Sean taking up the M68 Gauss Gun at the back. I slid into the driver's seat and drove it out of the hangar's ramp to group up with the other ground forces. Cortez's Longsword hung high in the sky with the two heavily armed Pelican Dropships. The Scorpion, Cougars and other Warthogs were in a delta formation with the tank in front flanked by the IFVs.

"_All forces, this is Cortez. Proceed to Sword Base, any significant concentrations of Covenant forces are to be bypassed. If we stay together, we'll all make it home. Cortez out."_

The forces started to move.

**17:50 Hours, September 3****rd**** 2552 (Human Military Calendar)/ Covenant Flagship/ **_**Seeker of Truth**_**/ Elipson Eridani System**

Supreme Commander Thel 'Vadamee sat impassively, studying the holographic map of the battle occurring between his dwindling forces and the human armada. He was down to just three hundred or so vessels—the number of which capable of damaging the Human fleet dropping quickly as the Human's formidable defense systems denied the Covenant a clean kill or progress.

"And so, the Humans deny us a quick and clean victory." Tartarus said, walking up towards Thel. "And so many of our kind die down on their world or in the cold void of space."

"Indeed it appears that way Jiralhanae." Thel responded with a clipped tone. "I never expected such a valiant defense from them. In our campaigns against the humans we have seen massive fleets and defenses that to this day even hold out against our attacks. But this...this world is something different."

Tartarus looked over to the hologram of Reach, "A defeat Sangheili?" he baredd his teeth as a display showed a human cruiser gutting a CCS-Battlecruiser. "Or a bloody victory?"

Thel looked towards the tall creature, "I do not know." he clasped his hands together into a fist and turned his gaze back onto the hologram, "Stalemate perhaps? No...too many loyal followers of the gods killed in this campaign, at best we can expect a defeat that doesn't result in our complete and utter destruction."

Tartarus smirked, revealing rows of sharpened teeth, "So you admit it was a defeat Supreme Commander?"

Thel smiled back, "A defeat? No...a besting. Eventually this world will fall, but for now, we must fall back and wait for the ground forces to do their job and capture their cities and destroy the generators for their orbital cannons." He leaned over to the right, "Major, what is the status of the capital ships in atmosphere?"

The Sangheili Major quickly responded, "My Lord, we have lost the majority of battlecruisers and carriers that were deployed to the surface but we have almost two million soldiers on the surface at the moment engaging the filth's forces. The forces from _Unyielding Hierophant_ are starting to move onto their industrial district but are encountering nigh-impenetrable resistance from thousands of machine-men and human war suits." A prompt appeared on the terminal and the Sangheili read it. "Assault Carrier Squadron Nine has been destroyed. Our left flank is crumbling rapidly!"

Thel growled, slamming his fist into the arm rest, "Damn it all." He pointed his hand outwards, "Bring our ship in, maximum shield power. Destroy everything that gets in our way, have the Assault Carriers _Heavy Burden, Indomitable Faith _and their battlegroups link up with us! All Frigates, Destroyers and Light Cruisers are to charge the enemy lines to allow us a pinpoint slipspace transition behind the human lines!"

"What of the _Unyielding Hierophant_ my lord?"

Thel paused, "Have her fall back with the remaining heavy vessels to beyond the Humans' weapon range."

"Yes my lord."

The Unggoy at communications turned around, "Master, all vessels acknowledge your orders. We are ready to depart!"

Thel stood fully, his cape following behind him. "Very well, have the light capital ships charge."

"Yes my lord."

The Hologram changed to the various light capital ships charging forward towards the human fleet. Explosions dotted the image as they died in fire, human frigates and corvettes were flying in and out of the Covenant formation, Railguns, Missiles, and MAC slugs chewing away at the collection of sacrificial vessels. The Covenant fleet responded in kind, plasma torpedoes, lasers and cannons roaring but only managing to destroy a few human warships as the Human Cruisers came into action and pummeled the alien vessels with their main guns every few seconds.

Thel nodded, "And so you will be remembered brothers." He looked down at the Unggoy, "Have them deploy their Locusts! Attack the Human vessels!'

"Yes my lord."

The small four-legged walkers broke off from the bays of the Covenant Light Capital Warships and sprung onto the hulls of UNSC Corvettes and a few Frigates, the focused plasma beam boring through armor and into the vulnerable bulkheads below, causing the afflicted vessels to burst apart from explosive decompression.

"They have expended the Locusts!" A crew member yelled.

Thel barred his teeth, "Very well, tell them that if they are close enough to self destruct, they know their lives will be ended. Let them die with honor." He clasped his hands together, "Are our slipspace engines charged?"

"Yes my lord."

Thel smiled, "Begin pinpoint slipspace transition into their atmosphere. Without the _Unyielding Hierophant _we will be able to jump into the atmosphere."

"Yes my lord."

The _Seeker of Truth_ turned and accelerated into a swirling slipspace rupture, the twenty or-so vessels escorting her following suit. In a split second, they reappeared in the atmosphere of Reach in perfect formation with the twenty kilometer _Seeker_ _Of Truth_ in the lead and the escorts flanking the massive dreadnought.

Thel nodded to himself and paced on the command deck back and forth, "Have our escorts break off and proceed to reinforce our front lines."

"Yes my lord." An Unggoy responded as a beep emanated from his console, "My lord, the Human fleet is dispatching overwhelming forces to deal with the escorts. Eta is ten micro-cycles."

Thel stopped in his tracks. "Very well, they shall be remembered in the chants of our children." The Sangheili reached out and a hologram sprang to life or the planet with a red circle around where his forces were laying siege to a human base."

_Not just any human base, _he thought_, underneath it is where He resides._ Looking up, Thel barred his teeth, "Bring the ship to these coordinates and prepare the warriors for battle!"

Tartarus crossed his arms and puffed his chest, "The Skull Takers will be ready Sangheili." He stated,.

"Very well. Now go. Rally your warriors. We will find what we want from this world and then proceed to burn its surface once He is found." Thel acknowledged, "And then, He will join us and with His power, the humans will be exterminated"

The Jiralhanae Chieftain nodded and walked out of the command area.

**18:00 Hours, September 3rd, 2552 (Military Calendar)/UNSC _Sovereign _Ground Forces_/ _Babd Catha Ice Shelf/ Reach**

Captain Luke Cortez stood stiff and straight, watching as Ronson and Johansen operated the Longsword and Harry Leferts kept the ground forces in perfect formation trailing a kilometer behind them. His arms were crossed across the light body armor chest piece and his eyes danced around the various displays that had been set up for him to command his forces from the Longsword.

Molly twisted in her seat to look at him, "Is it hard sir?" She asked.

Cortez looked at her and cocked an eyebrow, "What is 'it' Johansen?" He responded curtly.

She narrowed her eyes, "Leaving _Sovereign_ like that, a gutted husk."

Cortez's expression became gloomy and his stance noticeably slackened, "I've served on that ship for five years Molly, been her captain for two." He rolled his sleeves up, revealing a series of tattoos that wrapped around his strong arms line vines. "These are all the names of the people that I've lost while in command of her. There are one hundred and seventy six in total, they go all the way to my shoulders." He pulled his sleeves back down. "Seeing her, my vessel, reduced to something that is other than a vanguard of justice and protection for the families of those I've lost, it hurts."

She nodded, "I gathered that sir." She smiled, "And for what it's worth, I'm sorry."

Cortez nodded, "Thank you Johansen. I appreciate that."

She smiled back and turned towards her tactical console.

Henry Lefert's expression turned into one of surprise and terror, "Sir! Covenant CDN-class Dreadnought just slipped into atmosphere!" The man called out.

Cortez's eyes shot wide open. The 20 kilometer behemoth of a CDN were nigh unstoppable, taking an entire UNSC Battlegroup or several Super MAC rounds to destroy. Only the highest ranking members of the Covenant commanded these behemoths—only three had ever been seen!

"Sir, the Dreadnought is deploying drop ships and Seraph fighters! ETA twenty minutes." Henry reported.

Cortez walked over to Henry's station and studied the display, "Great." He said sarcastically, "Ronson, how long until we get to Sword Base?"

"Two minutes sir." he responded,

Cortez clenched his jaw and turned away, "Okay." He started, "Have our ground forces floor it to Sword, Pelicans are to do the same."

"What about us sir?" Ronson asked.

Cortez smiled weakly, "Break us off, polarize the hull and bring our stealth systems to maximum power. Bring our 50mm Railguns online and the 110mm rotary Railguns. Leferts, send a message to Sword Base, tell them that we're going to distract the enemy as much as we can while they ready the defenses."

Henry nodded.

Molly responded quickly, activating the weapons. "Missiles too sir?"

Cortez nodded, "Aye." They were MITV-92 missile pods, each pod were independently targetable, ranging in on a target and then unleashing a salvo of twenty smaller independently targetable 50-ton yield missiles. His C718 variant Longsword had twenty of these pods and in conjunction with the kinetic weapons could easily rack up a multitude of kills against enemy vehicles.

"Roger." Molly responded.

The Longsword banked, kicking in her main engines and accelerating away.

"We are in range sir."

Cortez nodded and pointed forward, "Fire."

**18:10 Hours, September 3rd, 2552 (Military Calendar)/2nd Lieutenant Melinda Benny's Warthog_/ _Babd Catha Ice Shelf/ Reach**

We had just arrived at Sword base and it was massive, covering a square kilometer of land with solid titanium-steel-reinforced concrete walls reaching up for a hundred meters, dotted by remote operated 50mm Guns and Wolf Spider Automated Turrets. Inside were several hundred Marines, an armored platoon of Scorpions and an air wing of AV-22 Sparrowhawks and UH-14A Falcons.

As our Warthog was admitted entrance, several machine gun positions tracked us until we reached the inner wall and stepped out. Commander Carter-A259 of Noble Team and highest ranking officer at the base was waiting for us with a M739 Squad Automatic Weapon and a M395 DMR.

I stepped towards him and saluted, "Commander Carter sir!"

He nodded to me, "At ease second lieutenant." He gestured for Sean and I to walk with him. "Glad to have you here Lieutenant, we've been under assault by the Covenant for the past few days and tensions are high."

I looked around at the base and at the people walking around in it, "I see sir." There were several scorch marks and the wreckage of destroyed vehicles scattered across the base along in addition to bombardment craters.

He kept walking, "Our armored forces are down to only twelve Scorpions, our air forces are at half strength and we're out of anti air missiles." He stopped at an observation platform overlooking the base, "They've been coming in from the north." he pointed to the burning ruins of Covenant vehicles and a Corvette, "and from the west."

I nodded, while Sean was next to me scanning the horizon with his VISR. "How'd you manage to take down a Covenant Corvette sir?"

He looked over towards me, "Noble Six led a team into it after we took down a Covenant Super Carrier and destroyed it from the inside. He's consolidating the east wall's defenses after they were breached during the last assault." He paused and turned away, "I need your Scorpion to link up with our own armored forces and for the Pelicans to be refueled and rearmed."

"Aye sir."

"Oh and Lieutenant." He said.

"Yes?" I asked.

He took something from his utility belt and handed it to me. "Congratulations Major, I need someone with your skill set to help lead the forces while your captain is out diverting the Covenant forces en route."

I opened the small box and saw the clover rank insignia, "Thank you sir."

He started to walk away, "The UNSC is lucky to have you Major."

**So there is Chapter Five, hope you all enjoyed. Next chapter, chapter six will be the battle of sword base and the full activation of 278 Infinite Solecism's ship. Stay tuned and read and review!**


	6. Chapter 6: Sins of the Father

~The Siege of Reach~

A Halo AU

**Author's Note: **Well, reception to this fic is super positive, I love it! Keep the reviews and commentary coming and thanks to WarpObscura for general beta-ing (is that even a word). Also, great thanks to Spartan303 for his assistance as secondary beta!

**Chapter Six: Sins of the Father**

**Captain Luke Cortez**

**18:30 Hours, September 9th, 100,000 BCE (Human Military Calendar)/Forerunner Picket Ship 741_/_Babd Catha Ice Shelf/ Reach**

"Where did I fail?" 278 Infinite Solecism asked, his voice dripping with emotions ranging from the sharp bite of despise and the soft whisper of appreciation to the subservient sense inflicted by condemnation by one's peers and superiors. ****

The object in front of him was deathly still, a blackened tomb which held his former master-now a corrupted immortalization of his own sins and failures. It was once a Warrior Servant, still partially clad-at least on the still uncorrupted sections of the form-in Class Seven Combat Armor that had tried to fight off the deathly quick transition from vanguard of the Mantle into an abomination upon the stars-a twisted collection of flesh, bones, and fear. The rest of his body was a sickly green and a putrid brown, bones now turned to sharp tusks and appendages that jutted out. Muscular arms were twisted and contorted, giving the once powerful forerunner a spider like upper body, tusks strong enough to tear through solid titanium. The face was in a state of horror, flood infection tentacles having sprouted out of the back of the head, more erupting from his cheeks and his jaw was over extended. The Forerunner's eyes were dead, one sickly green and one brilliant blue .****

The AI bobbed over and looked over the specimen, "You, you are the monument to my sins."****

"_And to the sins of your father."_A voice whispered to him. ****

278 spun around to find nothing in his presence. "Reveal yourself!" The AI barked.

"_I am unfathomable."_ The voice hissed, "_Beyond your comprehension peon."_

278 looked around frantically, "No, nothing is beyond my comprehension, I am an ancilla, I have been blessed with the complete knowledge of every forerunner in existence. I am capable of several quintillion calculations every millisecond. Nothing is beyond my comprehension." He argued.

"_You are a being of metal, not a being of flesh._" 278 registered a cold hand pressing against his chassis, "_But just as corruptible-just as easy to turn into a pawn of mine."_

Infinite Solecism whipped around and fired his primary weapon, four beams of yellow energy striking out, bisecting the oily shadow that stood behind him and cratering the floor. The shadow flickered away and 278 rose closer to the ceiling. "Reveal yourself abomination so that I may cleanse you!" he screamed, red eyes scanning the room.

"_Why would I do that now?"_ Another shadow appeared in the far corner of the room, 278 blasted it apart, "_Continue attacking these whispers of my presence. They are of no matter, they are only corrupted durances of your creators."  
_

"NO!" The AI raged, "No! That is sacrilege to use a durance in that form!"

"_And why would I care? Hmm? I am at war with these pathetic creatures you call your masters. And just like those who came before them, they shall be transformed into my pawns."_

"The Precursors suffered the same fate?" 278 inquired, "I know of the Mantle and of how the Precursors judged other races..."

The being laughed, _"No...the Forerunners were not the first races born in this galaxy...no, thousands more existed before the Forerunners overthrew us. The Flood were the first in our creations, many called it a failed creation but it had its purpose, allowing us to harvest all life and return the galaxy to a desirable state for us. That is how we maintained our power, the Flood were used as our cosmic fire and it served its purpose and we became accustomed to it but then your Forerunners, your masters._"

The Forerunner in stasis began to move and weakly pound against the glass, it began to speak—loud and booming, its voice filled the room, "_Overthrew us, killing trillions of my kind by constructing a great plague. Only a few remained and thus we __were driven from this galaxy. But your people weren't ready to inherit all we left behind...no...our perfect creation...the Humans."_

"Yes I know that." 278 said, voice dripping with anger and sorrow as one of his makers moved within the cryogenic suspension pod. "What I don't understand is why your kind bonded with the flood, becoming one with it."

"_With so few remaining, we were forced to take dire actions to ensure our species survival. The twenty of us left bonded as you say, with our creation. Our forms, our minds, and souls were spread across the entire Flood. We transcended our very existence. And we became the epitome of the Mantle—immortal. We could not die, our essences were forever. Even when occupying our original forms we could not die and so this Primordial. The twenty of us were known as the Graveminds...and such, we kept the name and we spread...consuming galaxies in our wake."_

"You?" 278 asked sharply, "You are the Timeless One."

The being chuckled softly and the infected Forerunner form bashed it's mutilated head against the glass, "_Yes! When the Humans found me I was cut off, but when they would open my tomb, I would know everything...every thing on every world, my kind's long dormant creations still standing strong and feeding my what I craved"_

"Power? Power for a damned empire?" 278 vehemently hissed.

"_No. Knowledge. When your Master Builder and his companions released me from my crypt on the human world, I saw what you had done, to humanity. To the rightful inheritors of all we left behind." _The being roared, 278 hearing millions of beastly howls emanate from the infected Forerunner's mouth. "_So, I began what we had envisioned again! I corrupted our Master Builder and Mendicant Bias from the inside...and I brought your Empire to it's knees. I used your kind, your makers as my pawns...the Graveminds...they spread across the stars this instant in fact, consuming all of the local galaxies in their damned grip. Nothing will escape us and we will ensure that Humanity takes its place amongst the stars and amongst the great empires that will rise because of the death of yours."_

"I see..." 278 said softly, looking down, "So we never had a choice...we were.." He had received a transmission and what it has said brought a feeling of joy to the sentient machine.

"_You were a mistake. The Forerunners, are a mistake...all they created...was a mistake."_

"So we don't deserve life?" 278 shot back, calculating the precise time he would need to beam into orbit and let this thing be killed .

"_No...but we are being merciful, your kind will evolve to serve us and we will ensure that your genetic and physical embodiments are not forgotten. But your galactic foot print must be exterminated. It is a way of us destroying our sins."_

"But there is something you are forgetting beast." 278 said, his tone laced with arrogance, "The Halos."

The Infected Forerunner slammed against the glass harder, _"We ensured their destruction! None remain!"_

"Really?" 278 asked, "You're wrong. Come with me. Time for me to be an enigmatic bastard."

278 and the capsule containing the infected Forerunner flashed and rings of gold energy enveloped them. They reappeared in orbit around what would be called Reach a moment later, 278 looked to the infected Forerunner "See, the Forerunners are worthy of inheriting the Mantle for when we wipe everything out, all shall start again...we have ensured that."

"_How do you know this?"_

278 bobbed up and down happily, "My father told me."

The creature finally broke through the glass and lunged at 278. The AI activated his stasis field and held the trashing mutated Forerunner there. "The rings are activating now. You will die. And I shall live, watching out for those we left behind.."

"_No!"_ The creature trashed, "_I am the damnation of your kind-the one who controls all. "_

"No. You are a plague, this body is merely a puppet. And you shall be treated as such." 278 laughed, "And I thought your kind were immortal."

278 felt a buzz of energy wash across his frame and a cold blue light enveloped everything around him. The infected Forerunner dissolved, screaming in agony as it did so. 278 just laughed, letting the collection of free floating particles that had once composed one of his makers slowly spread across the cosmic void.

"And you deem I and my masters unworthy of life." 278 said, "When you yourself can oh so easily be destroyed by something your children crafted-something a trivial as energy and radiation."

**18:30 Hours, September 3rd, 2552 (Human Military Calendar)/Covenant Type-52 Troop Carrier _/_Babd Catha Ice Shelf/ Reach**

Sangheili Minor Jula 'Royakee stood in the back of the Phantom Troop Carrier, feeling as human flak blasts detonated around them, shaking the craft and making the already cramped troop compartment seem even less spacious as Unggoy and his fellows crashed into each other.

Pushing away an Unggoy that had crashed against him, Jula snarled and stood fully once again. He raised his hand and ran his palm on the shoulder pauldron, feeling for dents or looseness caused by the heavy warrior-slave impacting against him. He muttered a curse and wiped spittle from his jaws. The Unggoy chattered rapidly to themselves, occasionally roaring a loud and harsh bark. The Kig-Yar hissed and squawked and his fellows merely conversed gently with each other.

"_Attention servants of the Hierarchs. We are approaching the drop zone to the defiler's base of operations. Prepare yourselves, your weapons and your spirits for the approaching conflict."_

His long, talon like fingers slowly traced down the side of his Plasma Rifle, feeling the intricate runes and markings that covered it's dull blue surface. He checked it's energy cell again, ensuring it was at full charge—his life and his honor depended on it, so did his family's. His blood line had been disgraced by the death of his uncle during the failed attempt to attack the human fortress world of Abyss, one hundred and fifty Covenant vessels against a mere twenty five human vessels—but that man, that Keyes had defeated them handily, using superior tactics and a fortified position to annihilate his Uncle's fleet. His uncle, faced with no other choice and wanting to save his own life, broadcasted his surrender

Jula growled and barred his teeth at the very thought. "And thus you have rendered all your kin Sword-less for a century to come."

"Attention." Ultra Zeka 'Boralasee called out, stepping into the troop bay from the adjacent cockpit.

Jula snapped into a sharp and stiff stance, Plasma Rifle braced against his chest and chin up high. The Unggoy followed suit along with the accompanying Sangheili and Kig-Yar.

The white armored Sangheili stepped across the threshold and nodded, the troops in the bay slouching noticeably.

Zeka nodded slowly examining his troops closely. He took a few short steps towards Jula and flared his mandibles, examining the young Sangheili with steel blue eyes. "So, your family finally decided to send another one of theirs to the war after your uncle's disgrace?"

Jula nodded slowly, "Yes master." He straightened his posture, "My bloodline has decided to fully contribute to the war effort."

"So, your family's armadas are amassing as we speak? Or do they remain in the skies of Sangheilios, barely maintained and cowering before the human's power?"

Jula snarled sharply, "We have no fleets, no ships except for a destroyer that remains above our providence and in Sangheilios' orbit with the rest of the defense fleet."

The Ultra laughed, "And so how are they contributing, do they send the armies? Do they send their land vehicles? Their fliers?"

Jula looked down, "No, they have sent all of their young into Supreme Commander's armies. We number a mere two dozen but we were trained by the best."

"The Governors of Contrition?" The larger Sangheili questioned.

Jula nodded, "Affirmative. My family is under pact with them."

"And why is that Minor?" Zeka asked pointedly, drawing closer to Jula. "Why did your family ally with a group condemned by the Hierarchs for heresy and manipulation of holy relics?"

"For survival!" Jula snapped, "Because the other clans left us to starve in the god forsaken desert!" He flared his mandibles at his superior and quickly receiving a vicious back hand from the senior Sangheili. The younger Sangheili reached up and patted his bottom right mandible softly and felt it not respond to his touch. The muscles and nerves had been destroyed by his superior's physical rebuttal, it now hung from his jaw, lax and unresponsive.

"Do not threaten me or I will kill you myself!" Zeka responded back.

Jula bowed his head, "Yes master."

Zeka turned away and walked to the back of the troop compartment. "Soldiers of the Covenant, tools of the Gods, we stand today at the twilight of our victory against the Humans on this world!" He roared, the assembled troops—sans Jula-crying out in approval. "We will storm their base, kill every filthy creature we encounter and activate He Who Sleeps and with his technology and his assistance, finally crush the human menace to the galaxy and to our gods' legacy!"

A roar of approval ran through the ranks of troops assembled in the bay even as the ship rocked violently from flax blasts.

"_Soldiers of the Covenant, prepare to drop!" _The pilot roared, his voice booming over the speakers in the troop bay.

Zeka ignited his energy sword as the _Phantom _began to decelerate and come to a rest a few feet from the surface. The Unggoy were first, followed by the Kig-Yar, and finally by Jula's fellows. The Ultra turned his head towards the younger elite and hissed, mandibles flaring.

"Maybe you will die with honor here today sword-less one."

Jula bowed his head and stepped into the gravity lift. "Maybe I will." he retorted. "Or maybe you will die without any."

**18:45 Hours, September 3rd, 2552 (Military Calendar)/_Sword Base/ _Reach/Elipson Eridani System**

My eyes stung as I walked out of the Longsword's belly, the bright light of the Reach afternoon stinging my eyes. I blinked rapidly, my eyes adjusting and surveying the damage inflicted on the Longsword by the Covenant forces in the local airspace that we had been engaged in. Both wings had most of their armor burned away and hideous gouge marks now scared the surface, the cannon barrels had either been fused or destroyed. The majority of the rear engine component had been reduced to molten slag and we had barely managed to land before a large portion of the port wing cracked off.

I straightened by naval uniform over the light armor covering it. I stood fully and puffed my chest out, I was the ranking officer on this soon to besieged base, it was my duty to present my self and exert my character and personality as a reassuring measure and influence on the service men and women based here.

I stopped about twenty feet from the devastated fighter and surveyed the situation, the Scorpion had joined up with the other armored forces brought from both _Sovereign_ and the local battalion garrisoned here previously. Super sonic booms drowned out all noise as railgun slugs were sent hurtling into _Phantom_ and _Spirit _drop ships, destroying many.

My earpiece beeped quietly and I reached up, tapping it, "Cortez here," I said, my neural net quickly informing me of the caller, it was Benny.

"_Sir, this is Major Benny, are forces are in position and we have Sparrows engaging Banshees and drop ships. Armor is fully deployed and acting as an impromptu aircraft deterrent." _She reported in, her voice and tone—as usual-clear and professional with undertones of positivity.

"What about snipers?" I asked, "If we can take down their Elites, we should weaken them considerably. The Grunts and Jackals aren't very prone to military strategy."

It took her a moment to respond, "_Okay, got it."_ She said, _"Sean has set up a ring of Stanchions on a remote operated system and we have snipers up on the roof. Current data suggests sixty three percent of enemy officers will be downed in the initial wave assault._"

"Copy that Major, good work." I responded,

"_Thank you sir." _She responded flatly.

I started walking towards the interior of Sword Base, _"And Major."_

"_Yes sir?_"

"You've earned that rank. Be sure to keep it." I stated.

"_Aye sir. I will."_

"Doctor Halsey." I said, extending my right arm and hand towards her.

The aged, yet still formidable doctor turned away from her workstation and the small AI projection walking on the table's surface. A small smile broke her mixed professional, cynical, and neutral expression. She walked towards me and offered her left hand. I grasped on to it and gave it a hearty shake. "Its Director Halsey now, Admiral Parangosky has been relieved of duty due to health concerns." She informed me quickly.

"It's a pleasure to meet you ma'am." I said, letting my grasp relax and arm fall down to my side.

Following suit, she tugged on the edge of her jacket's cuffs and simply nodded. She turned and walked back to her workstation, "It is a good thing you are here Captain Cortez." She paused in her typing, "Still steadfast it appears and rather gung-ho judging by the damage to the Longsword currently crashed on the tarmac and the fact that a _Midlothian_ class Destroyer now remains bisected nearby."

"I was forced to ma'am, there were direct orders from Fleet Admiral Cole." I responded stoically, I was about to begin my next statement when she cut me off.

"Yes, yes." She said, "I know of your history with orders, and I must say." She began, "They are quite impressive, you bend them to the near breaking point and yet you get the mission completed with full—or even greater results." She took in a breath, grabbing a cup of coffee and bringing it to her lips, taking a small sip she set the mug down. "Impressive, especially for someone as young as yourself, your CSV and awards are immaculate to say the least."

I shifted my posture, this woman gave off a feeling much too similar to former Admiral Parangosky—do not cross if you value your life. "You know of my career service record ma'am." I asked, trying to say it as neutrally as possible.

"Of course." She responded, looking back slightly, "And you can relax Captain, If I had wanted you dead I would have shot you myself the moment you entered by office."

I noticed four small shimmers to me left and right, ODSTs utilizing active camouflage. If they hadn't shot me dead when I entered she would have, evident by the M6D pistol holstered to her hip.

"Not death I am worried about." I stated

Her lips formed into a thin line, "Your rank is safe Captain, do not worry about trivial matters such as that. Im not _as_ vindictive as my predecessor." She said, accentuating the last statement with a flick of her wrist on the keyboard.

"Understood ma'am." I acknowledged, "Why have you called me here?" I asked.

She turned momentarily to me, "Because you are the greatest hope for ending this war. A war that will inevitably see the end of the Human species and the destruction of Earth and Haven."

This piqued my interest, to my knowledge the war had been going in our favor-having held the Covenant back for two decades or so. "Ma'am, the fleet is holding the Covenant off quite handily and the Inner Colonies are secure." I refuted, "And we are killing tens of millions of Covenant a week."

Her expression became tense, "No, this war is the _precursor_ to our defeat. Everything that has happened, it is mathematical and highly choreographed." She turned back around and a holographic model of the galaxy sprang to life in the center of the room, a few feet from me. Half of the stars were a sickly red and half were a bright blue. Covenant and UNSC held systems in 2525. The image changed, now both sides at two-thirds their original strength and territory with the Covenant holding a few more additional worlds than the UNSC. A small scrawl of text appeared at the bottom. 2552.

The Doctor glided over to the hologram and expanded it with a simple gesture. Another projection appeared, that of the galaxy but with green and black dots. She over layed it with the modern day map and let the script play though.

I examined the projection, it was a set path—the same star systems conquered, the same planets glassed. I looked down to her, "What is this Ma'am?" I asked.

She clasped her hands behind her back, "This is the record of the ancient conflict eons ago involving a race we believed were responsible for the creation of the artificial planet known as Haven."

"What?" I asked, "That is hundreds of thousands of years ago that Haven was supposedly built."

She rose an eyebrow, "Now, Captain, I never thought you one to be so close minded to to the things that's seem impossible." she pursed her lips and pushed her glasses higher up on the bridge of her nose, "Quite the opposite in fact, judging by your history with Sword Base and project Latchkey."****

"Ma'am." I said, "I only know so much about Latchkey and even then, sometimes I don't believe it."**  
****  
**"Believe it." Halsey bit back."You uncovered the greatest tool for Humanity's continued survival since the Slipspace Engine neutralized over population and depletion of resources—without it, we would have been wiped out by our own petty wars, not aware that all this lies on the grasp of our finger tips."****

"Aye ma'am." I said. "I understand."****

She smiled weakly, "There are greater forces at work here _mon captain." _Reaching from her back pocket, she took out a small data drive and placed it gently on the table beside her. "And Humanity is the last species capable of achieving what is needed to be done."****

"I see." I simply stated.****

"Only an ignoramus would be unable to observe what is occurring at the moment." she said, "But you are anything but an ignoramus-in fact you are quite brilliant." she added. She walked away and the projection changed to that of the Latchkey. ****

"The Latchkey ma'am." I asked, "What does the Latchkey have to do with this supposed cosmic overlord."

She turned a steely gaze from the projection to myself, "It is the key to discovering who and or what is manipulating this war." She simply stated, "And that is the key to ending this war."

"You believe that we might find a living being on that vessel?" I asked, "If so, that has more meaning that the simple end of this war."

"And what do you mean by that Captain?" She asked bluntly.

I crossed my arms, "It's the key to ensuring mankind's dominance in the galaxy." I told her, "We've always been small in a galaxy of giants! But with this technology we could be the giants, the dominator!"

She gave me a cold look, "Our destiny is not one of domination Captain."

"What is our destiny ma'am?" I shot back.

She pointed a finger towards the hologram. "Our destiny is to inherit a mantle-one of protection and guidance of the younger species that will inevitably rise up from the ashes of this war."

I quirked an eyebrow, "What about the Covenant, they have hunted us down for an entire generation." I made a fist and brought it up, "Slaughtering us like moas!"

She retracted her arm and dug into her jacket pockets, "They will be destroyed-but the seeds of their rebirth and their pacifism have been laid."

"And what if they do not choose to be pacifistic?" I questioned, "What if they instead choose to go directly after us?"

She turned away, "We are at the dawn of human evolution, and the apex of the evolution of life in this galaxy."

"We are humanity! Our first chance on the galactic stage should not be one of observers and protectors, we need to be the conquerers." I said, my inner rage, grief and a million other emotions coming to a full boil. "We need to be safe, to avenge those who died at their hands!"

"Do you not understand Captain?" She said gently but with that instantly identifiable confident tone, "This is not Humanity's first chance of interstellar existence."

I was disarmed instantly by her statement, "What do you mean, not our first chance?"

The projection changed again, an image of several dozen different forms of humans. "We once existed as an entire familiar tree, all forms of _homo sapien_ existing under a single empire. And a few that we never saw again." She said.

"You're telling me that a Human empire came before all of this?"

"Yes." She said flatly, turning away from her work to face me, "We ruled all of the Orion arm. We took what we wanted and were subsequently beat down for it."

"How do you know this doctor?"

"I know because all of Humanity has the essence of those who came before in them—ensured by a being called the Librarian. I have a geas, you have a geas, an infant born seconds ago has a geas of those who came before; imprinted on them for all eternity."

"Geas?" I asked, "What is that?"

"It is the essence of an individual, we are essentially alliterations of previous humans." She explained, "We are yet our own person, but with an essence of another—thoughts, memories of others." Turning, she stared out to the court yard below and the Covenant massing far away, "Latchkey will allow us to unlock this knowledge and hopefully extract these alternate personas—we have flash clones ready to receive the gei on Mars."

I stepped forward and pointed a finger at Halsey, infuriated by the use of flash clones, "Fully grown human Flash clones were outlawed when cloning first came into existence! Only body parts, organs and such are allowed to be created, and even then, only if using the patient's DNA."

Halsey slowly turned towards me and gave me a dark, cold look, "I am doing this to ensure the survival of humanity against this cosmic mystery." She crossed the distance between her and myself in a second, "My work—everything I have done, has ensured that the human race survives another day. Your job is to fight, to follow orders-to carry out the will of humanity. My job is to give you the necessary tools to accomplish that."

I was taken back by the aging Doctor's ferocity, "And Latchkey is that tool?"

"Precisely." She responded.

The speakers crackled and popped, "_Attention, all UNSC forces, Covenant are moving forward towards Sword Base. Prepare to repel enemy forces, UNSC reinforcements are twenty three minutes out. Signatures UNSC Aegis Fate, UNSC Forward Unto Dawn, and cruiser UNSC Chares."_

Halsey quickly paced over to the window and gazed out of it, watching as the base's defenses came online. Sparrow Hawks lifted off from the ground and quickly engaged the Banshees, Marines rushed to their stations and the vehicles drove behind cover. The Scorpion continued to fire, swatting drop ships out of the skies.

"Doctor, we need to get you out of here. Now." I said, walking up to her and touching her shoulder.

She whipped around, hand on the hilt of the M6H, "No, I must retrieve the data."

"Doctor, there must be backups." I said.

Halsey shook her head, "No, it was deemed too important to be uploaded into unsecured computers, the only backups are on Earth and Have-if this data is lost, so is Latchkey, and so is our survival in the test!" She snapped.

"Test?" I asked.

"Yes, like I said, this is a preplanned event-every thing is replaying like it did all those eons ago, Latchkey is our only way of stopping it. And this data is the only way to unlock Latchkey." Halsey said, gesturing towards the computer terminal.

I slumped my shoulders, "Understood ma'am."

Halsey turned away and walked over to the computer terminal, "Get down to courtyard, assist in the defense, I will radio you when I am ready."

I started walking out of the Doctor's office, "And where are we meeting?" I asked, stopping just before I stepped over the threshold.

She responded coldly, "Where I tell you Captain."

I nodded, just wanting to get out of that woman's reach, and quickly exited the room.

Rolling out of the way of an Elite's barrage of rounds from his Plasma Rifle I popped up and leveled my MA5D Assault Rifle at him and squeezed the trigger, sending twenty powerful rounds piercing through his shield and into his vulnerable flesh. The towering alien stumbled towards me, even as more rounds from my rifle transformed his torso into a bloody pulp, he finally died as a single bullet traversed through his skull and dug into the ground behind him.

A rain of plasma fire scorched the wall above my head, I quickly ducked behind the destroyed wall and lobbed a M83 Smart Fragmentation Grenade over it. The tennis ball sized explosive sailed before landing on the ground in between a collection of Elites, Grunts, and Jackals. The small device instantly registered the weaknesses of it's targets and sent a high velocity tungsten shard into the vital areas, piercing the shield around it and allowing the now-armed device's explosive to shred the seven-member Covenant group into bloody ribbons.

I tapped my earpiece, mumbling under my breath about the lack of air support-i knew the Sparrows were busy but they could at least give the crumbling line some assistance, maybe taking out the Locusts and Wraith that had destroyed the Scorpion after it took out a Scarab with a single Railgun round to the cockpit.

"This is Captain Cortez, I am pinned, east courtyard-three Banshees and a Wraith. Requesting any available air support." I barked into the radio.

"_Missiles en route." _An AI responded flatly from across the channel, "_Sword Base Missile Defense Center Out."_

I heard a roar of jet engines and watched as a quartet of Anaconda missiles lanced down from the skies above, instantly vaporizing the Banshees, Wraith, and Covenant infantry near me.

I detached the fiber-optic video snake and gently pushed it around the corner. My Heads-Up-Display was playing the feed, showing only a massive crater in the ground and the strewn debris of the destroyed Covenant armored vehicles and fliers. The snake retracted into my gauntlet and I gestured for the four Marines that had accompanied me down to stay put and guard the entrance with the M247 General Purpose Machine Gun.

I tapped my earpiece, "Major Benny, status?" I ordered, wanting to know the situation at the moment.

A roar of gunfire came as a response, followed by her voice, _"Sir, we're being pushed back-Scorpion is down and the Warthogs are either melted or unable to engage, estimate seventy five percent casualties. Snipers are being taken down by Banshees and the front perimeter is failing!"_

"Damn it." I responded, "Fall back with Noble Team and the Command Staff, asap-link up with Doctor Halsey where ever she is."

"_Aye sir."_ The Major responded, her tone sad, _"Ensign Harry Leferts took a plasma round to the chest while making sure several injured Marines made it to the underground hospital wing."_

"What's his status?" I snapped, "What isHarry's status?"

"_He survived the initial hit sir. He grabbed two MA5Ds and held off an entire squadron of Grunts and three Elites before a Fuel Rod ended his life." _Melissa responded.

"Understood," I responded, "He was a good officer."

"_Agreed sir." _Melissa responded. An explosion, massive in scale, echoed in the background. "_Sir, we're pulling back. Molly Johansen is leading the rest of the Command Staff and Noble Team into Sword Bas."_

"Understood," I said, "Get yourself clear and link up with them. I have a feeling Halsey will meet us down there."

"_Roger sir."_

"Major, where's the rest of your squad?" I asked. "Are they still alive?"

"_Don't know sir, I lost contact them when the Covenant hit, last I heard they were leading some transports with the Sovereign's crew and non-combatants away from the battle."_ Melissa informed me,

"Understood." I said in response, "Radio me when you link up with Molly and Noble Team."

"_Roger sir."_

"Cortez out."

I shook my head, Harry was a good man and a great officer of the UNSC. "At least he died a hero." I muttered to myself, "I wish we could all go like that."

A quartet of Grunts rounded the corner, Plasma Rifles grasped in their claws. They screamed and began firing wildly, the blue plasma bolts from their weapons smacking into the wall behind me. I rolled, firing as I did, back into cover. The four Marines that were guarding the door opened fire with the M247, reducing the diminutive creatures into bloodied carcasses.

More plasma rounds rained down around us, accompanied by the sharp beams of Jackal's sniper rifles. One of the four Marines took a round to the chest, a hole the size of a basketball now dominating his chest-the edges singed. He sputtered and died, crumbling to the ground.

"Take cover!" I shouted, the standard Heads-Up-Display I was using trying to determine where the Jackal snipers were. The entire area was filled with the red outlines of hostiles. Off in the distance, roughly one hundred and fifty meters ahead, an Elite-an Ultra, was firing at us. Several Grunts surrounded the massive Elite along with a phalanx of Jackals, shields protecting the Ultra as he continued to fire from his Repeater.

Grunts in front, Jackals behind them, and the three Elites at the Center.

A Marine and I each threw a Grenade, watching as they soared through the air, crashing at the center of the group. The Elites sank to one knee and slammed their fists into the ground, suddenly enveloped in silver energy. The grenades detonated, blasting a massive crater into the ground and throwing the Grunts and three Jackals several feet into the air and with enough force to leave imprints in the concrete walls.

"Open fire!" I yelled, popping up and laying down heavy fire. Tracer rounds from the General Purpose Machine Gun behind me joined in and pinged off the Jackal's shields.

The Elites deactivated from their armor lock and primed plasma grenades as MA5D fire pinged off their shields. The grenades crossed the distance in less than three seconds, sticking against the walls and cover. After three seconds the explosives detonated, throwing a Marine against the wall. His helmet had been blown off, and his armor burned off allowing his exposed form to smack into the concrete with enough force for him crumple and for his spine to crack.

"Fall back!" I shouted, hosing down an injured Jackal, bullets spearing the bird like alien and reducing it to a bloody mass, a stray bullet of mine pierced a plasma grenade on the Jackal's belt and detonated it, taking three more of the aliens with it.

The last Marine ran, opening the door and laying down covering fire with his SAW, targeting the Elites and downing one of them with a full clip. "These are some tough bastards!" The Marine, Corporal Shepard commented.

I slowly pulled back into the door way, "Indeed they are Corporal," When I had crossed the threshold Corporal Shepard slammed the button to close it. The heavy bomb-proof door slid shut slowly, both of us still firing through the shrinking gap between it and the wall.

I primed my last smart grenade and hurled it through the door as it closed, hearing it detonate and the screams of Elites and Jackals as they died.

Wiping sweat from my brow, I leaned against the wall.

"_Captain Cortez, this is Doctor Halsey. I am underground at the moment, approaching the elevator that links to the secondary research base. Come meet me." _My radio chirped.

I groaned and tapped my earpiece, "Roger ma'am. Has Molly Johansen and her entourage arrived yet?"

A moment of silence before Halsey responded, _"Yes, however."_

I furrowed my brow, "However what ma'am?"

"_Major Melissa Benny refuses to join us without her Brother." _Halsey said bluntly, "_And the Covenant flagship is moving into position above Sword base. If they open fire, we're all dead."  
_

"Damn it." I responded, "Upload your waypoint to Corporal Shepard's and my own system. I'll go get Major Benny."

"_Understood Captain. Do not doddle, a single pulse laser could bring the entire tower down on us." _Halsey responded before cutting the channel.

"Sir." Corporal Shepard said, standing at attention.

"Go, link up with Halsey and the rest of the survivors." I ordered.

He nodded and ran off.

I ran towards where Major Benny was, her ID tag pulsing on my Motion Detector. It took me only a few minutes to arrive at her location, standing in the middle of the doorway, firing her MA5D and mowing down Grunts and Jackals and even an Elite or two. An entire crate of smart grenades were next to her and she had already gone through roughly half of them.

"Major Benny!" I shouted from behind her.

She didn't respond, continuing to fire into the amassing collection of Covenant.

"Major Benny! Seal that door way immediately!" I roared,

She looked back at me with fierce but watered eyes, "Not without Sean!"

"Major, if you don't close that door and link up with Halsey, we're all dead." I responded.

"Screw off sir! I'm not leaving my brother behind!"

I snapped and grabbed her shoulder and pinned her against the wall. She kept firing though and bullets pinged off my chest plate. Slamming my arm on her own, I caused the assault rifle to clatter to the ground.

She was panting heavy now. I opened up a port on her armor and injected a dose of adrenaline suppressant. The drug suddenly calmed her and she shook her head, "Sorry sir."

"What were you thinking Major?" I asked sharply, "You almost got yourself killed."

"I'm not going to leave my brother sir!" She responded, evidently exasperated.

"Do you think he want's you to die out here Major?" I growled back, "You are a high ranking officer now, act like it. You are no longer a care-free lieutenant. You have a duty to defend those under your command and to set aside your own personal wants and needs for the betterment of those below you!"

"_Captain Cortez?" _Halsey radioed it, "_Have you secured Major Benny."_

"Yes." I responded.

"_Very well, bring her to the waypoint. We have transferred the majority of personnel underground. I suggest you do too."_ Halsey said coldly. "_Major Benny's brother has the kill switch for the Shiva-class Nuclear Weapon embedded in this facility."_

I glared at Melissa, "Your brother has the detonator?"

"Sean has it." She responded. "I told him not too but he grabbed it while we were restocking on ammo."

"God damn it Major," I growled, "Get him on the radio now."

Melissa nodded but saw something out of the corner of her eye, she pushed my aside and peeked her head out the door way. There was Sean, Series Five sniper rifle and MA5D in hand and firing, running towards the doorway. "Sean!" Melissa cried out, she was going to make a run for it before I restrained her, pulling her back.

Sean ran even faster but a Jackal sniper had zeroed in on him and a brilliant lance of cold blue light struck Sean in the side, sending the young ODST hurtling into a wall. He had been lucky, if the bolt had not deflected off his armor he would have been bisected.

"Sean!" Melissa screamed, elbowing me in the gut to try and get free.

I activated the built in humbler devices in my armor's gauntlets and felt Melissa relax somewhat but she continued to scream and resist.

"Sean!" She screamed again.

I slammed the button to close the blast door with my shoulder. Sean had recovered from being hurtled against the wall and was propped up against it now. Something was clasped in his hand.

Our eyes met and he simply nodded before the door closed fully.

Melissa broke free, slamming her fists against the door repeatedly, "Sean!"

"Major, we need to go. We need to go to Latchkey" I said gently, guiding her away from the door.

Tears were streaming down her face as I walked her towards the elevator.

Sean looked up with watering eyes towards the sky above Reach, his helmet cracked and the taste of blood slowly entering his senses. He was wounded, a fallen beam crushing his leg and several plasma burns covering his body, having burned through his hard suit-courtesy of a last minute plasma grenade. The impact from the Jackal's round hadn't helped things either for him. It had been fifteen minutes since that door had shut.

He smiled to himself, "So this is it." He said aloud, the Covenant forces that had overrun Sword base turning to look at his wounded form. A pool of blood and bullet shells surrounded him like a small funerary offering to the gods.

The lead Sangheili moved forward, rifle in hand and stood menacingly above Sean, the alien's armor stained with his own blood and the blood of his fellows.

"Human." It growled, revealing a series of sharpened fangs from its four mandibles. "You have failed, your companions have been driven beneath the surface where we shall slaughter them like the rats they are."

Sean smirked and took his helmet off, revealing his matted down hair and brilliant eyes. He stared directly into the Sangheili's gaze, "If we're rats, then why have we been winning this war? We've been holding you beasts back for twenty years, every step you take is marked in blood of millions of your own kind." Sean pointed to the sky, "And even now, our fleet destroys your own.."

The Minor huffed, "You will be forgotten, you will be simply another obstacle the Covenant encounters in its great journey."

Sean let out a loud laugh, "No, we won't be forgotten. You will be. Your entire kind will be forgotten, the only mention of you will be from historians teaching others that we killed you all. Every one of you stinking abominations will be exterminated."

"This world means nothing. Another one of the marbles to be glassed by our might." It snapped.

Sean grinned, "Really, when you have almost no ships in orbit anymore, no soldiers on the ground and when your own flagship no less has been reduced to entering the atmosphere of a tainted world. No, for as long as we are alive, we will continue to repulse you from our worlds, drive you from them like the mold you are. I know my sister and friends are safe now and I know that when Cortez activates that ship-the ship of our forefathers, the Covenant shall be broken and all of you burned from orbit. We are Humanity. We are the Inheritors of all our ancestors left behind." He lowered his voice and clenched his teeth, "You, you are a parasite to all of the legacy of the ancients. You are thieves."

The Elite roared and grabbed Sean by the neck hoisting him up, "NO! You dare defile the relics of the gods!"

Sean smiled back, "Damn right. ."

The Elite shook him, "You are unworthy of life!" The alien screamed, "Killing you will restore my bloodline's honor!"

Sean smiled and brought his pistol to bear into the eye of the alien, firing off twelve rounds, the high explosive rounds popping the elite's head like a melon-brain and blood splattering against Sean . The alien's grasp faded and Sean fell to the ground. He pulled himself up with one last herculean effort. The Grunts and other Elites in the group started to fire at him, seeing the death of their comrade. Sean withered the blasts and held onto the nuclear detonator. He looked up at the sky and the two moons high above,

"History is written by the victors!." He screamed, turning his gaze towards the group of Elites and Jackals stalking towards him. He turned his head skyward and let out one last defiant cry.

"Axios!" he roared, pressing the detonation stud and enveloping everything within one hundred kilometers of the base in nuclear inferno

**Hope you enjoyed!**

**Chapter 7 coming soon!**

**3 Sith**


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